8 places to go for unbiased info and fact checks during election season in Sacramento

Brianna Taylor
·3 min read

As the U.S. presidential primary election nears, you may be wondering how to cut through misinformation to mark your ballot with informed choices.

The presidential primary election, held on Tuesday, March 5, will include candidates for president, U.S. senators and representatives, and local offices.

Check out The Sacramento Bee’s list of political fact-checking websites and guides before you cast your vote for your preferred candidates and propositions.

Voter guides and candidate information

1. Sacramento County voter guide

Sacramento County released its voter registration and elections candidate guide for the primaries.

“This guide is intended to help you understand your responsibilities and resources,” adding that voters should review the document for “valuable information.”

The 67-page document provides information on candidates and committees.

2. The California Secretary of State

The California Secretary of State offers a voter guide with key information on deadlines, Proposition 1, candidate statements and other resources. It’s offered in 10 different languages, including Spanish, Hindi and Japanese.

You can also report misinformation to the office by emailing votesure@sos.ca.gov.

3. The Sacramento Bee voter’s guide

The Sacramento Bee’s 2024 Voter’s Guide helps readers navigate Sacramento region-specific information for the presidential primary election.

You’ll find key details on candidates, dates and deadlines, vote-by-mail and more.

4. Vote 411

Vote 411, launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund, provides nonpartisan election-relation information for general and state elections.

Vote 411’s voter’s guide offers personalized ballot and candidate information unique to your state. Or enter your address to get a list of candidates running for office in your neighborhood.

Fact-checking websites

5. Poltifact

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

Journalists comb through transcripts, speeches and campaign brochures daily to find the most “newsworthy” or “significant” statements to check, according to the website.

“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, but a party that repeatedly makes “attention-getting or misleading” comments could go under the microscope more often.

6. Sacbee.com

As election season progresses, The Sacramento Bee will fact check political misinformation and publish those stories online at sacbee.com. You can sign up for a morning and afternoon newsletter here. Just click the boxes next to “Daily Morning Bulletin” and “Daily Afternoon Bulletin,” enter your email address and hit “save selections.”

7. Snopes.com

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

Founded in 1994, the independent publication got its start investigating legends, pranks and popular myths. The list now includes “reliable” fact checks for misinformation.

Have a question about the 2024 election season?

8. Ask The Sacramento Bee service journalism team

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

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.