Massachusetts voters have a new resource to turn to for information about state and local candidates. Imagine Election, a new website, makes it easy for voters to find information about candidates who running for office in their districts. The site launches just in time for the Massachusetts state primaries on Tuesday, September 16th, and features informative candidate profiles for more than 80 candidates in the more than 60 contested primaries across the state.
"The intense focus on the Presidential race has generated a lot of new political interest and activity," says Summer Nemeth, the founder of the site. "The challenge is to bring some of that energy to races lower on the ticket, where each vote matters much more. When voters take the time to learn about every candidate on their ballot, they help ensure that our government is staffed at all levels with qualified, dedicated public servants."
In the past, a major barrier to voter research at the local level has been the multiplicity of district boundaries. A voter might simultaneously live in the eighth congressional district, the second Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex district for state senate, and the eighteenth Suffolk district for state house. "It's impossible to expect busy people to keep track of all the districts they live in, and who is running in them. That process needs to be automated," Nemeth explains.
Using a voter's address, Imagine Election provides a complete list of candidates running for office in that voter's districts. Just one click away, the site provides candidate profiles, which feature photographs, website links, qualifications and priority issues. The site also provides information about where to vote.
Nemeth sums up by explaining, "Imagine Election provides a way to go beyond names and slogans and really get to know more about the individuals in a race."