Local Voter Awareness Question

[TheVisitor]

I've like to kick off some voting awareness in my town and I'd like to do it in a non-partisan fashion, just to encourage people to become aware of local and state politics and also perhaps put a few signs up encouraging people to get out and vote for whoever they think is the best candidate. I want to also encourage them to become more informed.

Is anyone familiar with maybe a company I can use to get some pre-done ones made? I know we have a local sign shop, but I was wondering if anyone knew here of a place I could get some done on-line?

Has anyone here ever done anything like this before? I feel like people in my area really need to become more aware of politics and feel like their voice counts.

I'd really like to compile a short quick-hit list of things each potential candidate supports or rejects, and leave the whole political party thing out of it completely.. and just encourage people based off of factual data...

I own a domain that I used for some time to encourage the support of unions across the US, but I think i'd rather see it utilized as a state/local information base so people can become a lot more familiar with potential candidates... I think it could really help my community and state. What do you think?

I'd set my budget for signage somewhere about the 1-2k range and I'm really just thinking of local signs at the moment, and maybe gaining some support in the future to branch out a little bit. Would something like this help?

[freefaller62]

1. Short Cut: Get the signs from the Candidates of your choice

Unless you have some snappy saying of your own, use their signs. Lots cheaper and a lot less work.

[shraby]

2. The League of Women Voters used to put out a set of questions to all the candidates and

then publish their responses in the local newspapers. They also had a dummy ballot that people could look at in the newspapers. Haven't seen those for some time.

[TheVisitor]

3. Thanks for repsonding...

This is something I have noticed as well... It seems people are now judging candidates for all the wrong reasons and not actually investigating what they stand for... and honestly, it has become harder to find a record of what a candidate has actually voted for - because I remember a question here on DU that someone posed on a comprehensive list of candidates across the nation and their voting tendencies... and no one was able to give a response...

This would seem to be of the utmost importance in determining a candidate, because it makes sense to vote for someone who you relate to in their voting habits and will truly represents you the most... Voter knowledge and information is essential to a fair voting process and that is really something I am interested in supporting..

Thank you again for your response

[Rhiannon12866]

4. That was my exact thought, too!

Back in the day, I paid little attention to politics, so before the election I'd peruse one of those League of Women Voters pamphlets to choose a candidate, at least the local ones. And I know they're still promoting elections, though non-partisan. The last time around they organized and ran the debate between the congressman I was working for and his opponent.

[MH1]

5. www.smartvoter.org - LWV website with nonpartisan candidate information

If you are in CA or PA you will be redirected to a new site (which looks like it isn't quite ready for PA, as clicking Pennsylvania takes you right back to the old site).

Also there is Project Vote Smart ( www.votesmart.org ) - not affiliated with LWV but also has a wealth of info. I think Project Vote Smart is better for national races, LWV is better for local races.