How to: Create a voter guide
Despite the millions that candidates spend on television advertising, elaborate databases, and campaign events, most people will base their vote on information from people within their social network who they trust and with whom they share opinions.
This is especially true regarding local, less publicized elections where public information is less readily available about candidates. This makes it all the more important that once you have determined an issue that matters to you and how the candidates stand on that issue, that you make it applicable to members of your community.
A few ways to figure out the local angle are:
- Sit down and talk to local leaders in your community who are directly affected by the issue.
- Host a town hall meeting or a house party for your friends, neighbors, and coworkers to discuss their thoughts on the issue.
- Look through archives of your local paper for op-eds or articles about the issue.
- Research statistical information on how the issue plays out in your state-state websites are often a good resource for this information.
Now that you have collected a vast amount of information about local issues and how the candidates are likely to act on those issues, it is important to put this information together in order to make it available to the wider public. A voter guide will allow you to convey information about candidates and give you a way to have contact with potential voters.
When creating your voter guide, remember:
Include all candidates running for a particular office on your guide. Even if you were not able to get complete information from one or more of them, include what you have. Be sure to highlight key votes and statements that the candidates have made on your issue.
Target the voter guide to your audience when deciding what information to include. If your goal is to get teachers out to vote, your message and information will be tailored differently than if you are trying to educate parents, even if public education might be an issue that is important to both groups.
Include the sources for your information in order to allow voters to look information up for themselves and give your guide credibility. If any individuals or organizations aided you in the financing of printing the guides, include your funders, as well.
Provide contact information on the guide. Identify clearly what organization or group produced the guide and how to get in touch with them.