Voter Education Information

Our system of government demands a knowledgeable and responsible constituency—but it is often difficult to find out about candidates and the issues at election time. This is especially true for local races such as mayor, county sheriff, county clerk, city council, town supervisors, county board, county treasurer, county district attorney, judicial positions, and school board. Following are some suggestions to help in these situations.

1. Call your municipal clerk's office to get a complete list of what offices and what candidates will be on the ballot. Ask the clerk how to get phone numbers for the candidates. If the clerk can't help, check your local phone directory, look on the Internet, check any campaign literature.  Click here for a complete listing of all Wisconsin municipal clerks. Check here for your polling place and a sample ballot.

2.  Determine what the issues are. See items 4-7 below for ideas on sources.

3. Call the candidates—either at their residence or at their campaign headquarters if there is one. You are not imposing. Candidates running for public office need to be open to the public, within reason, of course. They should be expecting calls and questions.       

Following are some suggested general questions:
    a. What made you decide to run for public office?
    b. Why are you running now for this particular position?
    c. What issues do you consider most important in your campaign?
    d. What's your view of the role of government?
    e. Who has endorsed you?
    f.  Who has given you money for your campaign?  Candidates are required to report the names of people or organizations who give them more than $20.  You learn a great deal about a candidate by knowing who is funding his/her efforts, even though that person or group may not have officially endorsed the candidate. 

Ask questions on the specific issues that are important to you and are pertinent to the office the candidate is seeking. To get a true picture of where the candidates stand, ask questions in a neutral way. For instance, ask candidates what their position is on a woman's right to choose, rather than if they are pro-life or pro-choice.  Ask a school board candidate what he/she thinks about the way schools are currently funded, not whether he/she believes the state should give the districts more money.

4. Read the local newspaper—look for articles, press releases, ads, letters to the editor, endorsements, reports on forums, etc.  If you don't take the paper, visit your public library.

5. Find out about any candidate forums or other public appearances that are going to be held. Attend these events with your questions prepared. Write your questions down so you can submit them in advance, if necessary.

6. Stay alert for local radio programs or community cable stations that will feature interviews with the candidates.

7. Check the Internet to see if the candidate has a web site.  If you don't have a computer, visit your public library.

8. Talk with knowledgeable people who are following the political scene.  Find out what they know about the issues and the candidates.  Double-check with others who are also "in the know" if you have any question.