Traditional campaign journalism is extremely hard to follow for anyone but diehard political junkies — a high-profile statewide race will feature dozens of stories across multiple outlets on the latest campaign events, political stances, polling numbers, fundraising numbers, gaffes, and more. Meanwhile, races for lower-level office such as the state House are woefully undercovered, despite the fact that these are incredibly important roles that create the rules that govern Pennsylvanians’ lives.
We created the WESA Voter Guide to provide a one-stop elections resource for Allegheny County voters, a place where they can find vetted, non-partisan information to inform their choice at the ballot box.
Our website featured detailed profiles of all the elections for both federal office (U.S. Senate, Congress) and state office (governor, Pennsylvania legislature). These profiles explained what was at stake in each race and provided short, readable biographies of the candidates, including information on their political views, campaign fundraising, endorsements, and links to further reading. We linked to our own political reporting but also to local and state competitors because the goal was to serve the audience, not just drive traffic to our previous coverage.
In addition to the campaign profiles, we also provided a variety of voter-service information on how to register, vote by mail, and change political parties, as well as a reader-inspired FAQ to answer the audience’s questions on elections.