In abstract
CalMatters’ nonpartisan voter information is extra accessible, reaching extra audiences and empowering extra voters than ever earlier than.
Our staff is dedicating each ounce of vitality to carry the 2024 CalMatters Voter Information to extra Californians than ever earlier than.
Be it first-time voters, Californians who communicate Chinese language or Korean as their native language, or radio listeners, we’re striving to be a nonpartisan information for individuals throughout the state.
“We’re not telling you how to vote, or even whether to vote at all. We are trying to help as many Californians as possible to make an informed choice between candidates and on ballot measures,” stated CalMatters Politics Editor Foon Rhee. He has been main the highly effective journalism behind our Voter Guides since he joined CalMatters in 2021, and he has coated each election – native, statewide or presidential – since 1984.
The setup: Reporters, editors, designers and engineers pushed via the warmth of summer time to carry you our trusted, nonpartisan information asap.
We started publishing voter assets in July and the entire information was up by Labor Day.
Since then: Our staff has been adapting the information to achieve (and actually have interaction) as many California voters as doable. Beneath, we’re providing a have a look at that work.
And please: Take a second right this moment to share our information. Readers have advised us that as a result of it’s nonpartisan, they’ve shared it with household, pals, neighbors, congregations and school rooms.
You may share our information in English, Spanish, Chinese language or Koreanand you may as well print out a PDF for individuals who want a bodily information.
“We’re not only trying to put the voter guide in front of every Californian. We’re also trying to make sure it’s in a language they’re most comfortable speaking, in a format that feels really natural to them, and that the information is shared in a way that makes the most sense to them,” stated CalMatters and The Markup Chief Impression Officer Sisi Wei.
In-print, in-person, in a quiz and now in a filter
CalMatters partnerships supervisor Dan Hu has been driving throughout the state for weeks to carry our nonpartisan information, printed props quizzes and Props-in-a-Minute movies to California voters this fall.
“People want to connect over these really serious issues facing our state – with wine,” stated Anna Almendrala, CalMatters viewers engagement supervisor. “Dan’s events are a great opportunity for all of us to go outside and touch grass instead of getting our biases confirmed on social media.”
- Filter me knowledgeable: You don’t must restrict the time you spend on TikTok in an effort to keep knowledgeable and put together to vote. Simply use our enjoyable new filters – check out every one to “vote” with head tilts based mostly on fast questions and the filter will reveal your doable stance on every prop. Plus, it’s one of the best ways to be an influencer – let’s make knowledgeable voting the brand new meme.
- Additionally on the tok: What do you get if you take our beloved Props-in-a-Minute movies and add our wonderful intern, Jenna Peterson? You get some enjoyable, prop-breakdown vertical movies for TikTok and Reels.
- Props in print: Our printable PDFs make it enjoyable (effectively, at the very least far more enjoyable than studying the typically 300-page voter info information) to study every proposition up to your vote.
- We made a zine: Talking of enjoyable, designer Gabe Hongsdusit turned our information into a colourful zine. The problems are being mailed out quickly (and distributed to little free libraries).
Localizing your poll information
Wouldn’t or not it’s good to simply discover all the knowledge on what’s up to your vote this fall in a single location? Yeah, we thought so too. And that’s why our information staff labored further on a brand new function referred to as “See what’s on your local ballot.”
We noticed a possibility to construct a pattern native poll for readers when Voter’s Edge, a collaboration between MapLight and the League of Ladies Voters, was discontinued. We straight collected information from all 58 counties, then cleaned and formed it into one thing helpful to readers.
“It was a huge undertaking, and it’s a great first step toward making a comprehensive sample ballot,” stated John Osborn D’Agostino, CalMatters Information and interactives editor.
- Tackle-based lookup: Merely sort in your deal with and the software will present the state and native races and measures in your poll. Plus, the lookup software might be embedded on accomplice websites in a number of languages.
- Intensive protection: The software consists of 718 native measures and practically 975 races, that includes practically 2,500 candidates from native communities.
- Targeted information: The software consists of metropolis, county and supervisorial races however doesn’t embrace regional, faculty and particular district races corresponding to Board of Schooling races or faculty bonds.
On the air, on TV and in libraries
Typically we simply want a break from the web. We’ve been working with companions throughout the state to tell viewers, listeners and library patrons.
“I’m proud that our audio department can help public radio listeners all over the state better understand their ballots. It also means a lot to me that we can offer smaller stations with less resources statewide election coverage they can depend on to bridge coverage gaps while they focus on issues in their own regions,” stated Mary Franklin-Harvin, CalMatters audio editor.
“It’s been great to be able to bring CalMatters stories to television and reach an even bigger audience. Video on these platforms goes a long way and helps us explain policy and share the voices of those who are impacted by it,” stated Robert Meeks, CalMatters director of video technique.
- On the radio: We made audio variations of our Props-in-a-Minute movies to share with our public radio companions throughout the state. We’ve explainers on each statewide poll proposition airing on stations from the Imperial Valley all the way in which as much as the Oregon border. To make sure radio high quality audio, we took our skilled recording gear to our reporters — typically taping in reporters’ closets whereas we crossed our fingers that curious pets would keep quiet. Different occasions, utilizing a blanket we borrowed from our colleague’s desk for makeshift insulation once we recorded within the workplace.
- There’s a TV: We partnered with PBS SoCal to carry our proposition guides to Angelenos day-after-day at 5:58 p.m. on TV and within the PBS SoCal app.
- In libraries: Our partnership (and sponsorship by) the California State Libraries means colourful posters in libraries throughout the state function our on-line Voter Information by way of QR code.
A information for extra Californians
We’ve labored more durable than ever this election to consider make our Voter Information work for extra individuals. Our first step? To totally acknowledge the variety of California voters. The second step? To consider how we will make our information meet the wants of the most important swath of individuals within the state.
“Californians don’t all speak, read or think in the same ways and effective voting information has to meet people where they are. That’s why we’re offering our full Voter Guide in more languages and writing styles than ever before. If English isn’t your first language or you prefer election material that uses simple wording with more explanations, we have options that can fit your needs,” stated Ramsey Isler, director of particular initiatives at CalMatters and The Markup.
Simplified language guides:
- Utilizing plain textual content: We’ve taken our oft-noted easy-to-understand information and made it even simpler. Our Simplified Language Voter Guides in English and Spanish provide a plain-text strategy to study what’s on the poll freed from jargon and even together with a glossary for key election phrases.
- Fast and full: We’re providing a Full Information that is available in at 80 pages (which is loads, however thorough) and a Fast Information choice (drilled all the way down to 25-must-read, scannable pages).
- Use: Academics and group group leaders shared that our information was helpful in serving to share nonpartisan election info. These guides are supposed to make that even simpler. We hope that you just’ll contemplate sharing these together with your group right this moment. We additionally provide a Instructor’s Information for educators. Obtain them right here.
Translations and on-line accessibility:
- Past English: We supplied our Voter Information in Spanish for the primary time in 2022. Now we’re additionally providing our information in Chinese language and Korean. Please tell us if you need to assist share or use these guides with an e mail.
- Accessibility: Our on-line information and PDFs impressed by the information are all made to be accessible to individuals with varied skills.