I'm working on this election workshop and playing with www.askyourlawmaker.com. I like the site and I don't. I think I've learned more about how much the public doesn't know by reading these questions, whereas I was supposed to be learning about candidates thoughts. The questions range from just plain uninformed (asking members of Congress about state and local issues, demonstrating a lack of understanding regarding federalism) to the obtuse and absurd (asking when Americans will actutally get to choose their presidents). There is a section of questions posed by the public that have been selected by a panel of journalists as 'good questions.'
I'm all for more interest and participation in politics, but sometimes I think these sites are havens for folks with an uniformed agenda, asking leading (and misleading) questions. Use it with your class, but teach them good questioning techniques and have them research the answers themselves.
