To this point, you've used the Midwest Democracy Project as your one-stop shop for "vitamin-enriched, freshly squeezed news." Now that we're in the last leg of the marathon, it's time to find out how you can get your electrolytes and bust through the Nov. 2 finish-line tape.

Here are a few ways to get the most out of the site leading up to and on Election Day:

CoveritLive

CoveritLive is an online application that allows you to track what's going on locally. It's updated up to the second with a constant churn of relevant info about polling locations and activity across the area, and it's fully integrated with photos, video and, of course, Twitter. We'll be using the hashtags #MOvote and #KSvote, so if you incorporate that into your tweets, content will automatically be pulled into our CoveritLive box. It'll be featured as the centerpiece on our home page, so check early and check often. Tweet us @MDP_Star.

Best of all, it's a way for you to talk back and interact with the journalists who are keeping you well-stocked with news. Call it the ultimate in crowdsourcing.

Elections

Here's the easy way to find your polling place, see sample ballots and track election results as they're reported. Register and tick a few specific races to keep your eye on. You can see whose stride is lengthening, who's out of breath and who's trying to shake off a heel-nipping opponent.

Issues

We're looking for less yelling and more talk. There's never as much attention paid to politics as there is during election season. Take advantage of the opportunity to have your say about hot-button topics. Was NPR justified in firing Juan Williams? How do you feel about the earnings tax? Plus, you can add your own topics. Make no mistake; public opinion is still the strongest force for change. Your voice is heard.

Candidates

We got out our shovels and did the heavy digging on candidates so you don't have to. Scroll through an extensive list of political contenders in Missouri and Kansas to find out biographical stats and how politicians responded to our survey. (Their answers are unflinching...because we wouldn't let them). If you had questions about how many kids they have, what their qualifications are or where they stand on policies, consider them answered.

How they voted

Did we mention you can view how the legislature voted on a key piece of legislation? It gets better. It's broken down by individual legislator and tracks both the "ayes" and the "nays." It's color-coded, too, so you can see the mix of party support and the yes-no split. It's all here.