Voting in California? Here are 8 places to find unbiased election info and fact checks

Editor’s note: This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.

Election season is in full swing, which means it’s time for debates, discussion and plenty of mud-slinging.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are both vying for the American presidency.

The Republican candidate and his Democratic rival recently faced off in their first debate of the 2024 election season, clashing over everything from inflation and immigration to abortion.

In addition to casting their votes for the next president of the United States, California residents can vote on candidates for U.S. senators and representatives as well as a number of ballot measures.

Here’s where to find fact checks, unbiased voter information and more as Election Day — Tuesday, Nov. 5 — nears:

Voter guides and candidate information

1. Sacramento County

Sacramento County offers ballot information on state, city and local contests, as well as state propositions and local measures for the presidential election.

“The specific contests and candidates you are eligible to vote on will depend on where you live,” the county wrote on its site.

2. California Secretary of State

The California Secretary of State offers a voter guide with key information including deadlines, propositions and candidate statements.

In addition to English, the guide is available in Spanish, Chinese, Hindi and other languages.

3. The Sacramento Bee

The Bee’s 2024 Voter’s Guide has information about local and state races, ballot items and the election process.

Readers can also find information on candidates, including who supports different issues.

4. Vote 411

Vote 411, launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, provides nonpartisan election-related information.

Its voter’s guide offers personalized ballot and candidate information unique to your address.

Fact-checking websites

5. Poltifact.com

Politifact, owned by nonprofit organization Poynter Institute for Media Studies, fact-checks claims made by political figures.

Its journalists comb through transcripts, speeches and campaign brochures daily to find the most “newsworthy” or “significant” statements to check, according to Politifact’s site.

“Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy,” the newsroom stated.

Both Democrats and Republicans undergo fact-checks, Politifact states, but a party that repeatedly makes “attention-getting or misleading statements” could go under the microscope more often.

6. Sacbee.com

The Bee will fact-check political misinformation and publish those stories online as the election season progresses.

Readers can sign up for morning and afternoon newsletters, as well as news alerts.

7. Snopes.com

Snopes’ fact checks range from investigations of digitally altered images to simplifications of legislative proposals, according to its site.

Founded in 1994, the independent publication got its start investigating legends, pranks and popular myths.

The list, Snopes states, now includes “reliable” fact checks for misinformation using nonpartisan information and data resources “as much as possible.”

Have a question about the 2024 election season?

8. Ask The Bee’s service journalism team

Submit questions directly to our reporters by emailing servicejournalists@sacbee.com or by filling out the form below.

This story was originally published September 15, 2024 at 6:00 AM.