Maplight

Today’s voters face many challenges in making informed decisions. On ballot measures, 75 percent say they are "too complicated and time consuming to understand." And "66 percent have still cast ballots on measures with which they are unfamiliar." While Secretaries of State provide information to voters, a 2012 study delivered "failing" grades to 42 states. The Madison Initiative seeks ways to offer voters information needed to participate in elections, vote in ways that reflect their interests, and understand candidate and ballot issues. This grant supports the voter information project Voter’s Edge (a project of MapLight, a campaign finance research organization) to expand and deepen its work beyond California.

Many studies illustrate the challenges today’s voters face in making informed decisions. Looking just at ballot measures, 75 percent of voters say they "often find [them] too complicated and time consuming to understand." Despite this, "66 percent have still cast ballots on measures with which they are unfamiliar." While secretaries of state typically hold mandates to provide information to voters, a 2012 study delivered "failing" grades to 42 U.S. states. The Madison Initiative is now exploring ways to better equip voters with the information needed to participate in elections, vote in ways that reflect their interests, and understand candidate and ballot issues and positions. This grant will support Voter’s Edge (a project of MapLight, a campaign finance research organization) to expand and deepen its work beyond California.

Many studies illustrate the challenges today’s voters face in making informed decisions. Looking just at ballot measures, 75 percent of voters say they "often find [them] too complicated and time consuming to understand." Despite this, "66 percent have still cast ballots on measures with which they are unfamiliar." The Foundation is exploring ways to better equip voters with the information needed to participate in elections, vote in ways that reflect their interests, and understand candidate and ballot issues and positions. This grant would support the voter information project VotersEdge (a project of Maplight, a campaign finance research organization) to share candidate and initiative data with other organizations throughout the country.