Hats off to Kansas City, Missouri – not only for keeping residents informed of results during a recent local election, but for encouraging voter participation by educating residents about the issues that were to appear on the ballot.
On August 8, city residents were asked to vote on the adoption of a revised city charter. Before heading to the polls, voters had a chance to read up on the issues put before them. Educating voters increases the chance that they will cast a vote because they understand the issues at hand – and the impact these issues could have on their community.
Prior to the election, Kansas City posted an explanation of the seven ballot questions on a special Elections page on its web site. The information was presented in a question-and-answer format, with links to the actual ordinance, and to an explanation of how each ordinance could affect voters.