KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The League of Women Voters (LWV) of Kansas City updated their 411VOTE.org website Thursday morning to provide voters with tools for the upcoming local elections.
The league's Missouri and Kansas websites provide information specific to those state's local elections.
LWV provides nonpartisan information on candidates and parties, and works to get as many people to the polls as possible through voter registration outreach.
“At that website you can find all kinds of candidate information, you can also check your voter registration and you can actually register to vote," LWVKC president Anne Calvert said.
The website gives voters an idea of what stances candidates are taking, and voters can compare candidates' answers, too.
“We have a couple of questions that we ask each of the candidates, and then we print their answers verbatim," Calvert said.
It also clarifies issues on ballots.
“The ballot language can be very confusing, and so, we translate from ballot language to English," Calvert said.
Voters can also find a personalized cheat sheet that they can print out, email or text to themselves.
“One of the features of VOTE411, is that you can type in the address of where you live and get a sample ballot that is exactly the candidates and the issues that you’ll be voting on in the upcoming election," Calvert said.
Trenton Little, a KCMO resident, said he plans to vote in the upcoming local election.
“I think it’s important because, I mean, if you don’t vote you’re not really doing much to advance the politics in the local area," Little said. "I care a whole bunch about my country, but I care a whole lot more about the city I live in as well.”
Roma Lee Taunton, who has lived in Kansas City, Missouri, since 1974, says it's important to vote in local and national elections.
“Because this is where I live and it’s important that people know what we think," she said.
Voter registration for the Missouri primaries concluded on Wednesday, July 10, but Missourians looking to vote in the general election can register to vote until Oct. 9.
Kansans can register for the primary election until July 16, and have until Oct. 15 to register for the general election.
KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Cass, Miami, Franklin and Douglas counties with an emphasis on Lawrence. If you have a question about your community or a story idea, send Lily a tip at lilyoshea.becker@kshb.com.
—