Project Vote Smart bus to make stop in Yuma

A colorful bus loaded with political information is rolling into town with the promise of crashing through election rhetoric and delivering voters the information they need to make educated decisions.

Project Vote Smart, a national nonprofit and nonpartisan group, calls the bus its Voter Self-Defense System. The vehicle has traveled more than 25,000 miles to 33 states with information about elected officials and candidates that the organization pledges to be accurate, free of bias - and totally without political spin.

When the bus visits Yuma on Thursday the most important cargo will be copies of the Voter Self-Defense Manual, which Project Vote Smart will distribute free to the public.

"We have created the Voter Self-Defense System for the nation, designing it to help voters bypass campaign rhetoric if they want to get to factual information they can really trust," said Adelaide Kimball, a board member and senior adviser for Project Vote Smart. "We want to bring the Voter Self-Defense Manual right to the people."

The project's bus will be parked from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday outside the Heritage Branch Library, 350 S. 3rd Ave. In addition to Voter Self-Defense Manuals the bus will also offer residents a mobile computer to access Project Vote Smart information, a short film about the project, and walk-through tours of the project's Web site. There will also be a handful of exhibits, including one asking citizens to grab a pen and share their thoughts on candidates' campaign behavior.

Project Vote Smart describes itself as a national library offering information on 40,000 candidates for public office at all levels of government. Information is gathered along five basic areas areas: Biographical background, issue positions, voting records, campaign finances and performance evaluations made by more than 100 special interest groups.

Kimball stressed that Project Vote Smart does not accept money from special interest groups or any government entity.

The project was founded by Arizona politician Richard Kimball - the husband of Adelaide Kimball - who came up with the idea during his failed race for the U.S. Senate against John McCain. Kimball created Project Vote Smart in 1992 along with the help of national leaders that included former Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and Sens. Barry Goldwater and George McGovern.

Kimball stressed that politicians themselves were criticizing the system.

"Candidates didn't like how they were having to apply for the job," she said. "They said that all spent their time raising money and then using that money in ways to manipulate voters."

Project Vote Smart normally reaches out to the public through its Web site (www.votesmart.org) and toll-free hotline (1-888-Vote-Smart).

The project, which now operates out of Montana, was originally located in Tucson.

"We also have a founding board that has to be balanced across the political spectrum," Kimball said. "We have currently have forty board members, ranging from Newt Gingrich to Michael Dukakis."

The current leg of the tour began July 10 in Michigan.

Before coming to Yuma the bus will be in San Diego. After Yuma the bus will stop in Phoenix for two days, then head to Denver for the Democratic National Convention.

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Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.