LWV of North Carolina Launches 2018 General Election Edition of Online Voter Education Tool – VOTE411.org

Online Candidate Guide Available for all NC Races Statewide for First Time

The League of Women Voters of North Carolina announces the launch of its online General Election Voter Guide for 2018, VOTE411.org.  The League’s nonpartisan election resource offers voters a “one-stop shop” for election information together with easy-to-use tools to help North Carolina voters navigate the November 6^th General Election.

“The League has invited over 2000 candidates in 647 contested races in all 100 counties in the 2018 General Election to participate in Vote411,” says Janet Hoy, NC League Co-President. “So far, over 660 candidates on ballots in every county have supplied information about their background and philosophy and have stated their positions on issues important to NC voters. More candidates are posting their answers every day. We’re excited to see so many more competitive races this year and especially to see a big increase in women running for office—up and down the ballot and all across the state, both Democrats and Republicans.”

Voters simply visit VOTE411.org and enter their address to see a personalized ballot with information from all the candidates responding.  Voters can compare candidates head-to-head, make their choices, and keep a copy of their choices to take to the polling place. They can also print out a voter registration form, find out their polling place, and see the voting hours and dates for their location.

“Vote VOTE411.org is a user-friendly tool to inform N.C. voters about the upcoming General Election,” said LWVNC Co-President Karen Bean. “Using the voter’s address, VOTE411.org generates information specific to each voter, from customized ballots and polling locations, to candidates’ unedited positions on issues – all designed to make the voting process easy and enable voters to make informed choices.”  VOTE411.org is the nation’s premiere online election resource. League volunteers have been working for months to ready the guide and help candidates upload their data.

“We’ve seen rapid increases in VOTE411.org use as we have moved from working in just the larger counties in 2016 to covering the entire state this year,” said VOTE411.org co-lead Beth Springston. “More than 85,000 North Carolina voters used the guide in 2016.  Even though this is not a presidential year and the guide hasn’t even been launched until today, we’re already seeing usage above 2016 levels. Voters are really interested in the legislative races this year, as well as the county commissioner, sheriff, district attorney, judicial races and the six constitutional amendments on the November ballot. We saw users from 96 of our 100 counties in 2016, many from small towns all over the state who can’t get this information any other way. We’re hoping to make it 100 out of 100 this year!”

“Many of our local Leagues are also holding candidate forums in 2018, where voters can meet the candidates in person,” said Co-President Hoy. “We’ll have teams out registering students and anyone else who is eligible to vote,” she added. “It’s all part of our deep commitment to making democracy work in North Carolina.”

“VOTE411.org is convenient, easy and empowering,” concluded Co-President Hoy. “I’ll be using it myself and sharing it with my friends and family to help them get ready for Election Day.”

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

Visit www.lwvodc.org

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