QuizTheVote is digital framework to be used by news organizations in conjunction with voter guides to match voters with candidates who share their views. It will be based on Google sheets and offer an iframe embed for content management systems.
It’s being developed by Evan Wyloge, with project coordination by Sandra Fish.
Local news outlets would determine what issues are most important to candidates — for school board, city council, county offices, legislature, Congress — as well as potential solutions to those issues to come up with the quiz.
This might involve listening sessions with the community, audience surveys, input from outgoing elected officials and community leaders, general knowledge of news staff and/or existing polling.
Once the questions and potential solutions are developed, candidates would be surveyed. In addition to choosing from the multiple choice options, they’d be allowed 150 words to explain their position.
Voters would be matched with the candidate with the most similar views, as well as shown responses from other candidates.
Check out the Aurora Sentinel’s quiz for city council candidates and Chalkbeat Colorado’s quiz for Denver school board candidates. Barrenside in Kentucky used QuizTheVote for the Glasgow City Council primary.
See our NICAR presentation on how to prepare and implement QuizTheVote. Check out our Get Started page if you’d like to meet with us. Or email sandra fish to get more info.
Thus far, we’ve done this for free. But you could give us money.