University of Wisconsin - Extension

Come this fall, the race between two political scions, each making his own bid for the White House, will finally be at full throttle.

Across the state, U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl's campaign slogan "Nobody's Senator but Yours" - and whatever other slogans advertising people might dream up - will saturate the airwaves.

Local electoral races will spark debates among communities, where voter decisions will eventually affect everything from property taxes to education, from land-use choices to health care funding.

It's the political season, and to help voters sort through the flotsam and jetsam of campaigns, the UW-Extension, Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television have teamed up to create the Wisconsin Vote Web site, www.wisconsinvote.org.

"It's really an honor to play a role in helping voters make their choices in November," said Kathy Bissen, WPT's director of News and Public Affairs.

Launched earlier this year, the Web site focused heavily on the race for a state Supreme Court justice. Now, it's being updated to offer the latest news on the races for president, for Wisconsin's U.S. Senate and congressional seats and for state Senate and assembly.

Using streaming video and audio, the site offers visitors instant access to updates on breaking news, candidate biographies, interviews and more. The interactive site features chat rooms, moderated discussions with candidates and weekly opportunities for voters to offer their opinions in surveys and polls. The site archives past broadcast reports and talk shows, which will be searchable by topic so that voters can easily find candidate voting records, position papers and campaign finance reports.

"Combining this tremendous tool, the Internet, with the expertise of our reporters and those of Wisconsin Public Radio has been a wonderful experience that we hope will pay off on election day with a more engaged, informed electorate," Bissen said.