On July 16 the League of women Voters will launch VOTE411 Guide, a politically-neutral online voters’ guide, providing information for the September 6 Primary and the November 6 General Elections.
Anyone can log onto the VOTE411.org website, enter their address, and pull up a sample ballot that will be customized for their particular voting district.
The voter-friendly website offers easy access to voter registration, sample ballots, absentee ballots, and polling places as well as candidates’ biographical information and positions on key issues.
“We’ve been working on our piece of the website since March,” said Pat Makos, chair of the Sussex County League’s VOTE411 committee.
“Coordinating with the state League, we formulated questions for the candidates, notified all candidates that we would be requesting their input, and sent them instructions on how to post their information and responses.”
The candidates’ responses appear entirely in their own words, and they can be easily compared. Questions posed to candidates for state positions include such controversial issues as the rising cost of health care, gun violence, budget deficits, immigration, capital punishment, the opioid crisis, and legalization of marijuana.
Questions for candidates for Sussex County offices focus on water quality, traffic, sea level rise, property taxes, and the general welfare of county residents.
While VOTE411 provides information for election districts across the nation, the League of Women Voters of Delaware posed the questions to DE candidates running for state offices and for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and each county League devised questions for candidates for their county offices.
“Knowing exactly which local and state offices are open and who is running for each position is critical for voters who want to make sure that they choose people who will best represent their views,” said Martha Redmond, LWVSCDE President. “The League is a nonpartisan organization, and we urge everyone to carefully consider the issues, to find out where the candidates stand, and to go to the polls on Election Day.”
For more information, go directly to VOTE411.org or to the county League’s website sussexlwv.org.
Photo cover: VOTE411, the League of Women Voters’ online voters’ guide, is featured in the Lewes Library display case. Creating the display are (left to right) Pat Makos, Marge LaFond, Suzanne Hain, and Lorna Dempsey.
