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In researching your opposition, you have checked all the obvious places, but what if your opponent is not an incumbent and has no voting record to use against him?
There are several options you may have overlooked: BLUEBOOK In the library, find a copy of the "Bluebook," which describes your State's court system. You will need this information to locate divorce files, criminal cases, liens and civil cases. Let it be noted that each State does it a bit different. You will have to spend a little time figuring out what kinds of cases are handled in what courts and where you will have to go to research those records. You will have to look through both the plaintiff's and defendant's index books to find out if your opponent's name appears on any of that court's cases. The indexes are usually in alphabetical order and, in most places, are now on computer, to make your job a little easier. If you find your opponent's name in an index, write down the case number and ask to see the "docket," which is the court's record of proceedings. This record includes judgments, rulings, motions, etc. Also, you don't want to stop at only researching the state courts. You should also check the federal district courts. Whenever you find an interesting case, be sure you check to see if it was appealed to a higher court. LIENS There are several ways to research liens. State and federal tax liens and mechanic liens are often filed at the local records of deeds office, and in some states, tax liens are filed in district or circuit court. Go to the county courthouse and city hall to ask where the lien information can be found. Finding liens against your opponent's assets, whether they be federal, state or local tax liens or mechanics liens, can be a highly rewarding experience for you. CREDIT REPORTS There are three main credit bureaus that maintain credit and payment information on individual's. These are CBI, TRW and Trans Union. You can probably figure out a way to obtain a copy of your opponent's credit report, which may contain a lot of interesting financial information. Be aware, however, that it is illegal to obtain someone else's credit report without his or her permission, and the penalties are stiff. Each report includes a list of those people who have requested and obtained the report . . . so it is very possible you could get caught. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Resource Ideas for Your Research! in Women in Politics is owned by . Permission to republish Resource Ideas for Your Research! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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