Engage in Your Democracy with Ballotpedia
While many people are focused on the fact that 2020 is a presidential election year, it is important to note that much is happening at the state level. There are 11 gubernatorial races, all but 6 states have legislative elections, and there are many other measures that might require your vote. Where do you gather objective, non-partisan information about what will be on your ballot? Consider Ballotpedia, a digital encyclopedia of American politics. It is run by a nonprofit that is dedicated to compiling thorough, non-partisan information regarding state by state election/ballot activity in the United States.
Ballotpedia gathers information to support you in engaging in your democracy including:
- Databases of all upcoming elections, searchable by street address
- Dates for all elections and candidates, including off-year and special elections
- Times for Poll Openings and Closings organized by state
- Bios and contact information for all elected officials by district, down to the judicial and school board level, searchable by zip-code
- Databases of all upcoming state ballot measures, searchable by zip-code
- Fact-Checking of political reporting regarding issues under deep debate in your state
To learn and practice how to further engage in the election season, attend the AACTE’s Committee on Government Relations and Advocacy preconference: Your Levers of Civic Power: Moving the Gears of Democracy on Thursday, February 27 from 1:00 -5:00 pm. Register today for this interactive session!
If you have questions regarding Ballotpedia, please email me at wcummings@aacte.org, and direct any questions about the preconference to gra@aacte.org.
Tags: advocacy, Annual Meeting, events, state policy
