Nonprofit Advocates Can Rate Congressional Candidates

People rate books, videos, and consumer products online. Why not political candidates?

The V3 Campaign, a project that asks Congressional candidates what they would do to strengthen nonprofit groups, has started publishing the answers on its Candidate Response Blog and asking readers to rate them with one to five stars.

The site has now published responses from 14 candidates in nine states, who were asked to:

• Describe their personal and professional experiences with nonprofit organizations.

• Provide three specific ways in which, if elected, they would collaborate with and strengthen the nonprofit world.

Only a few people have rated the answers so far, but for what it’s worth the top-rated candidates are Chellie Pingree, a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in Maine, and Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who is running for reelection (both got an average of four stars from two voters).

The V3 (for Voice, Value, Votes) Campaign was started by Robert Egger, president of D.C. Central Kitchen, an anti-hunger group in Washington, as a way to strengthen the political voice of nonprofit groups. He is asking state nonprofit associations and individuals to help quiz candidates in their states.