As my students know, I do not discuss my political views or affiliations in class. I don’t think this knowledge is necessary to a student’s understanding of journalism. However, I do think it should be required that all people sound their voice by voting in every election. I also am the first to admit that election coverage can be confusing and dry. That’s why I love USA Today’’s online Candidate Match Game. More than 2.5 million unique visitors have gone to the game since it was launched in September 2007, according to Poynter online. The purpose of the game is to help readers determine which presidential candidate’s views most closely resemble their own. Yes, it probably oversimplifies most of the issues, but I find this type of interactivity refreshing. It is, after all, one of the greatest perks of online news.

I would be curious to know if your results are reflective of how you planned to vote. You don’t have to share your candidate, just let me know if you think the poll works. I was surprised to find that my views did not support the candidate for whom I planned to vote, at least according to the poll.

Candidate Match Game (update)

Originally uploaded by mrpbody33

An update of this picture. I thought give it another go since they have deleted most of the candidates that have dropped out of the race from the list. All except Edwards who is dropping out today and Bill Richardson. Why is Richardson still on there? Oh well it might not be as up-to-date as I was saying. Gravel was my top choice last time and still is this time. Once again my stance on gay marriage and the FairTax is swinging everything. Take Gravel away and it really is a dead heat between all the other candidates. Dave posted about politics today so I thought I would as well. So will I really vote for Gravel on Super Tuesday next week? Maybe.

Check out the link to the Candidate Match Game and let me know who ends up in your top three. I was kind of surprised at my results. I am not a republican but I do support Mitt Romney. He is a very good business man, governor and leader. I am interested to see how this turns out for you. Don’t forget to change the sliders to better fit your concerns.

I look forward to your comments.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/candidate-match-game.htm