Voter's Edge California, a comprehensive, nonpartisan online voter guide in English and Spanish, launched today to provide voters with unbiased information on candidates and ballot measures, from the top of the ballot down to local races, with the election just weeks away. California voters can make informed choices using Voter's Edge to explore candidates' priorities, endorsements and top donors, as well as ballot measure explanations and campaign funding. Information in the guide is updated daily.
To use the guide, voters simply enter in their home address and Voter's Edge California shows a personalized page with all the contests that will appear on the user's ballot, including candidate priorities and biographies, ballot measure explanations, endorsements, funding sources, news articles and additional vetted resources.
Voter’s Edge users can also find information about registering to vote, checking their registration status, and vote-by-mail procedures in California. Due to the pandemic, all registered voters in California will receive a ballot in the mail and can return their ballots by mail, drop off, or vote in-person. Ballots can be mailed back to a local elections office or dropped off at a ballot drop box, polling place, or vote center. Californians can also vote in person at their local polling place, vote center, or elections office. Voter’s Edge users can mark their choices and print their ballot, or view their choices as a link or an email. Voter's Edge California is a joint project of MapLight and the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (LWVCEF).
In addition to voting on candidates for federal, state, and local offices, Californians will also vote on 12 statewide ballot measures, ranging from major changes to commercial property taxes, affirmative action in college admissions, rent control expansions, and voting rights for people on parole as well as some 17 year-olds. Voter’s Edge includes detailed information about each ballot measure combined with lists of supporters and opponents and campaign funding information for “No” and “Yes” campaigns.
“Fighting voter misinformation and encouraging voter confidence is essential in this election. Our easy-to-use tool, Voter’s Edge, puts hard-to-find facts in the hands of all Californians,” said Stephanie Doute, ED, League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. "Voter’s Edge is a trusted source of election information that gives voters the power to cast their ballots with conviction.”
In 2018, two million voters in California used Voter’s Edge to help them make decisions about their ballot choices — equivalent to 1 in 8 of the state’s voters. More than three quarters of Voter’s Edge California users reported that they would vote for more offices and leave fewer choices blank because of the information in the guide, while more than 90 percent said the guide made them feel more confident about making the right choices on Election Day.
"Voter's Edge California provides voters with clear and comprehensive information on candidates and California’s long list of ballot measures in a way that’s efficient and easy to understand, whether they are on a computer or mobile device,” said Daniel G. Newman, Co-Founder and President of MapLight. “With such a consequential election just weeks away, we’re thrilled to help voters engage in the democratric process and make informed decisions about every contest on their ballot.”
Media outlets and community organizations interested in expanding local and state election information in their communities can find information here to easily embed a Voter’s Edge ballot lookup tool on their websites.
