| Dear RJ,
I have mentioned one of our top priorities for 2023 is our local voter guide pilot project, which will give citizens even more detailed information on local elections. Ballotpedia will work with a group of online news organizations to help them publish voter guides. The voter guides will be tailored to the specific geographic areas the news sites cover, leading to more coverage of local elections and candidates.
No aspect of local governance has attracted more attention in the past few years than school board elections. In my opinion, this has been one of THE most positive developments in American politics. It shows that civic engagement is alive and well—that American citizens are ready to turn their attention away from Washington and its talking heads and do something to improve their local community.
Your support of Ballotpedia has been crucially important in helping voters learn the ins and outs of these elections: when they’re held . . . who the candidates are . . . and what issues are at stake. Last year, Ballotpedia offered election coverage of more than 1,500 school board seats. And our Hall Pass schools-focused newsletter has rapidly become a go-to resource for school board members, parents, and educators. (Over 41,000 current school board members are subscribers!)
In the year ahead, we aim to complement this coverage with expanded resources on rules concerning education funding. We will offer detailed coverage of executive orders and major rulings involving the U.S. Department of Education to show how decisions made in Washington, D.C., impact students across the nation.
The conventional wisdom is that 2023 is an electoral “down” year. But even “down” years are huge at Ballotpedia, as millions of Americans turn to us for coverage of local races and a clear, even-handed explanation of issues and policies they can’t find anywhere else.
That being said, I’d be lying to you if I said 2024 wasn’t on our minds. The upcoming presidential election is the elephant just outside the room.
As you know, it’s vitally important for the stability of our nation that elections be conducted with transparency and reliable information. So at Ballotpedia, we want to provide voters with all the information they’ll need in 2024 to vote confidently.
To that end, your support of Ballotpedia in 2023 will also contribute to two important projects that will serve our country in 2024 and beyond:
- Providing robust information on all contested elections. Last year, our Election Help Desk gave voters detailed information on many disputed or contested elections. As we build out this much-needed platform, Ballotpedia will be the standard-bearer for reliable information on both our nation’s electoral processes and rules and also on up-to-date reporting on disputed races.
- Redesigning the Sample Ballot lookup tool. Given Ballotpedia’s rapid growth, we anticipate 2024 to blow past all previous years in terms of site traffic and engagement. We want to ensure voters can quickly find the information they need to cast well-informed ballots.
Will you make a generous, tax-deductible gift of , , or even to Ballotpedia today? You can foster civic engagement and strengthen our nation by giving voters neutral, accurate, reliable, and accessible information about the races and elections that directly affect their lives.
Thank you so much for your generosity!
Leslie Graves
President and CEO
Ballotpedia
Donations can also be mailed to:
Ballotpedia
8383 Greenway Blvd., Ste. 600
Middleton, WI 53562 |
