Online Tool Matches Voters with Ideal Presidential Candidate

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The national conventions are over, each candidate has a running mate, and Minnesota is planted firmly on the list of battleground states for this year's election.

And based on the , there are a wide variety of issues that concern readers in Eagan and elsewhere in Minnesota and the nation when it comes to just who will end up in the White House.

Really, all that's left is to do is vote. But do you know who you're voting for? Do you know all that the candidates have to offer? Do you really know which presidential candidate best matches your stance on your most important issues?

A new website launched earlier this year to help voters match up with their ideal candidate, and it's quickly gaining popularity through social media channels. In fact, according to iSideWith.com's homepage, more than a million people have taken the free quiz to determine their ideal candidate since it launched in March.

The quiz covers everything from social issues to foreign policy and answers can be fine tuned: You can choose general or more detailed responses, and a scale allows you to set the level of importance for each issue. Your responses are then analyzed to determine your ideal candidate, complete with a breakdown of your response matches.

Among the people who took the quiz in Minnesota, their positions matched President Barack Obama's 55 percent of the time—more than any other candidate. Surprisingly, Minnesotans' views matched Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson's positions 46 percent of the time, along with Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

And what about Mitt Romney? Just 34 percent of Minnesotans who took the quiz have the same views as he does on the key issues, according to the website.

Seems to be a pretty handy tool, but does it work? You tell us. Take the free quiz on iSideWith.com and let us know what you think. Is the candidate it matched with you the candidate you plan to vote for?