As campaigns are in full swing, letters, newsletters and other advertisements are bombarding undecided voters.

One ad claims this candidate voted to lower taxes, and the next says no, this candidate voted to lower taxes.

What is believable?

I discovered, after hours of Web surfing, it’s possible to look up voting histories. Maine.gov has a search engine that allows anyone to research bills. I put this newfound power to the test.

I received a newsletter that spoke quite highly of Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello, claiming she has fought to lower taxes and strengthen our economy. This has been one of the hottest issues in this year’s election because of the financial crisis we are facing, not just as Mainers, but the entire United States.

I searched “tax cuts” in the “bill text” field, and a bill appeared. It was LD 1925 that was voted on in 2007.

The bill was created to simplify and reduce taxation on Maine residents by more than $140 million. The bill focused on cutting taxes to low-income and middle-income households. I went through the roll call, which shows how each senator voted. Come to find out, my current state senator, Snowe-Mello, voted against this bill, despite what the newsletter claimed.

These are the issues that are important to me, but I urge everyone to look up the information that is coming from these advertisements.

As the old School House Rock commercial used to say, “Knowledge is power.”

Nikea Benner, Auburn