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Voter Guides

Their words. Unedited. Nothing added.

The same questions to everyone. No ratings, no commentary, no thumb on the scale.

How our guides work

  • Every ballot-qualified candidate in a covered race gets the same questionnaire, at the same time, with the same deadline, delivered in writing.
  • Answers are printed unedited and in full. We do not shorten, correct, fact-check, or annotate them. If a candidate writes four hundred words where the limit was two hundred, we say so and print two hundred — the same rule that applied to everyone.
  • Candidates who don’t respond are listed as “no response.” No explanation offered, none implied, no penalty.

What we never add

  • Ratings or stars
  • “Agrees with LCV on 6 of 10 issues” — we have no positions to agree with
  • Analysis or a summary of who won the questionnaire
  • Editorial framing of any kind
The neutrality test

How the questions get written

Questions are drafted by the chapter, reviewed by the state board, and tested against one standard: could a candidate of any persuasion answer this without conceding the premise?

Passes

“What should the district do about declining enrollment?”

Fails

“How will you address the enrollment crisis caused by X?”

The second one smuggles a conclusion into the question. We rewrite until every question passes.

Questions cover a broad range of local issues, not a narrow slate. A guide that only asks about one thing is a guide with an agenda.

Guide finderEnter your address to see the guide for your ballot

For candidates

If you’re on the ballot in a covered race, you will receive our questionnaire in writing. A few things worth knowing:

  • Participation is free and voluntary.
  • Nothing you write commits you to anything, and we will never quote you back at you later.
  • We do not share your responses ahead of publication with anyone, including your opponents.
  • If you missed the deadline, tell us — if we haven’t gone to print, we’ll take it.
Candidate questionnaire portal

Reuse our guides

Our guides are public information, and we want them spread. Local papers, neighborhood associations, libraries, and school PTAs may reprint any LCV guide in full, at no cost, with attribution.

The only condition: it must be reprinted complete — every candidate in the race, or none. A partial guide is a biased guide.

Request a reprint file