Politics For Dummies

With the 2016 presidential election slowly creeping up on us, it’s crunch time for politics.

What may feel like the Super Bowl to political junkies passes by without a stir for a disturbing number of Americans.

Even if you’re not exactly standing in front of the White House waving your American flag or feeling personally offended every time there’s choice words between the elephants and the donkeys, it’s still extremely important to be knowledgeable about our government.

You know, those people who sit in suits and ties all day in that round building on the big hill casually shaping our country with every breath they take?

Yep, those people. You should know them and their actions like you know Drake’s new mix tape or Nordstrom’s end of summer sale.

Generation Y has turned into Generation Why Care?

Many people my age don’t have the time or the patience to sort through all of the political news briefs circulating daily or follow every campaign. If you ask us if we’d rather watch C-SPAN or watch paint dry, we’d ask you where the paint brushes are.

Another reality is many millennials are not educated enough about the political system and we don’t understand everything that we see online or in the news.

Luckily technology is on our side. Because when is it not?

Here are the top five apps young voters like you should be consulting to stay on top of the political world and make informed decisions about where the United States should be heading.

First up, we have Politifact.

Have you ever listened to a debate and thought to yourself this person is FULL of it? Well, this is the app for you. Politifact measures politicians’ truthfulness. The app grew from the Pulitzer Prize-winning website, Politifact.com. It’s main feature is the “truth index.” This BS meter displays how honest individual politicians have been throughout their career. The index is based on the most recent statements they’ve made. The “flip-o-meter” is especially entertaining. It measures the latest policy flip-flops happening in Washington. Cost: $1.99, iOS, Android, Blackberry.

Next, let’s talk about Countable.

Launched in May 2014, Countable uses your location to link you to your personal representatives. This is a great way to comb through the hundreds of politicians in Washington. Users can access everything their local representative is voting on and read shortened, simpler versions of bills being voted on. Users can even place votes on the app. These votes are later delivered to the politician’s office. Pretty neat stuff. Cost: Free, iOS

Coming in at third is iCitizen.

Founded in 2012, this app focuses on the user rather than the politicians. iCitizen organizes the newsfeed by issues that matter most to you. The technology automatically aggregates hundreds of headlines based on what the user is interested in. Cost: Free, iOS, Andriod

Still with me? Meet PollTracker.

This app is especially important for the upcoming presidential race. Produced by Talking Points Media, Poll Tracker offers polls for every race across the United Sates. Users choose the races they are most interested in and will get notified the moment a new poll from their specified race is released. The app offers a regression analysis and uses these results to produce in-depth breakdowns and graphics of polling numbers. Cost: Free, iOS

And lastly, let’s take a selfie with PolitiCam.

Not EVERYTHING about politics is dry. Brought to you by Milk Drinking Cow, download PolitiCam and you might find yourself in a room with Barack Obama or Ronald Reagan. This app is both fun and entertaining. Although it doesn’t offer any hard-hitting political information, it’s a great way to get a laugh or two. Politics don’t have to be so serious all the time. Cost: Free, iOS

So there you have it. Brush up on your politics and...