It shouldn't be so hard to become an educated voter

Early voting has begun for the March 19 primary, and if you’re hesitant about heading to the polls because you don’t know much about the candidates, you’re not alone.

Most voters have found themselves in this situation at some point: Checking their ballot and seeing names of candidates whom they know little or nothing about. Determined to do their civic duty, maybe they pick the first name on the list for a particular office, something research has found can give candidates who are fortunate enough to win the first-on-the-ballot lottery a measurable advantage, based on sheer luck.

Or maybe a voter selects a candidate strictly along party lines, or opts for the person whose name sounds like he or she is from the same ethnic or racial background. Perhaps their vote is based on something a neighbor told them two weeks ago, or something they saw on social media, where misinformation sprouts like dandelions in the spring. Maybe a voter just shrugs and goes by a hunch.

“It’s hard. I’m familiar with some of the names, but you don’t have time to research every single one of them,” one early voter told the Sun-Times’ Mitchell Armentrout for his report last Sunday examining voter frustration and apathy over lack of access to candidate information. “Sometimes, I guess it’s just a choice.”

Luck, last names or “just a choice” are no way for voters to make crucial decisions at the ballot box. Clear, factual information on candidates and policy issues is essential to a thriving democracy. Access to information is especially needed for so-called down-ballot races that typically get little publicity.

There are candidate websites, campaign brochures, newsletters from public officials and political parties out there, but they’re hardly known for unbiased information. Community websites have information, too, but they might well depend on people with little time or training in fact-gathering.

More reliable options — think established groups like the League of Women Voters — do exist, along with newer initiatives such as BallotReady and Nonprofit VOTE that aim to provide nonpartisan information.

As for the first-name-on-the-ballot effect: A Stanford University researcher told Armentrout it can give candidates a three percentage point advantage in a race, which could mean victory in a tight contest. We urge election authorities in Illinois to follow the lead of other states that have opted to rotate candidate name order in different voting precincts.

A real news ecosystem

What’s really needed, however, is to shore up independent local news.

It’s no coincidence that voters say they don’t have access to clear, unbiased candidate information, given the alarming, well-documented decline of local newspapers and media.

“Local journalism is essential to democracy,” Christina Veiga of the News Literacy Project told us. Voter turnout is higher in communities where local news is robust, she adds. “The decline we’ve seen in news, in the number of journalists and the number of outlets, is a real danger. Absolutely, there are limitations to going to other sources when there is no local news available.”

In many communities, local newspapers are trusted sources of information, as a 2021 Knight Foundation-Gallup survey found. “Compared with other sources of local information, Americans also say local news does the best job of keeping them informed, holding leaders accountable and amplifying stories in their communities versus social media, community-based apps and word of mouth,” a Knight Foundation analysis stated.

Recognizing the link between thriving local news and a healthy democracy, more news outlets are expanding beats on voting and elections, Veiga notes. But there’s still an urgent need to slow the rapid proliferation of news deserts that has America on track to have lost a third of its newspapers since 2005, according to the “State of Local News 2023" from the Local News Initiative at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Philanthropic support, like the $500 million Press Forward nationwide initiative, is important. Legislation can make a difference too, and Illinois has two ambitious proposals, introduced by state Sen. Steve Stadelman of Rockford, that are worth strong consideration from lawmakers: Senate Bill 3591, the Journalism Preservation Act, would require social media and tech giants like Google and Facebook to compensate local news organizations for content they share and profit from. Senate Bill 3592 would create the Strengthening Community Media Act with hiring incentives, including a tax credit for news outlets to hire more reporters and for small businesses that advertise with local news organizations.

The Sun-Times, along with our partner WBEZ, is doing its part to keep voters informed. Our primary voter guide is at chicago.suntimes.com/voter-guide-2024. Candidate questionnaires are at chicago.suntimes.com/candidate-questionnaires. A lookup tool that will show you who is on your ballot is at chicago.suntimes.com/graphics/elections/2024/ballot-lookup/

When voters have good information, they can make good choices.

The Democracy Solutions Project is a collaboration among WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government, with funding support from the Pulitzer Center. Our goal is to help our community of listeners and readers engage with the democratic functions in their lives and cast an informed ballot in the November 2024 election.

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Voter Guide 2024

The news and information you need to know to make your choices in the Illinois primary. Early voting has begun, and election day is March 19.

 

Candidate questionnaires

Candidates in contested Illinois March 19 primary races share their views on a range of issues through the Sun-Times/WBEZ candidate questionnaire.

 

Latest election news

Complete coverage of the local and national primary and general election, including results, analysis and voter resources to keep Chicago voters informed.

 

Democracy Solutions Project

How to vote in the March 19 primary

Here’s a guide to casting your ballot — whether you’re looking to register to vote, vote by mail or vote in person.

By Tony Arnold | WBEZ