We want to hear from you about the upcoming elections. Do you vote? Why or why not? What information do you need to make informed decisions about the candidates and issues you might see on the ballot?

Signal Cleveland provides information on candidates and issues that helps all Greater Clevelanders, especially unregistered and infrequent voters. We remind you about voting registration requirements and deadlines. We explain relevent issues such as gerrymandering. And we share opportunities like this one from Cleveland VOTES. (Nonprofit organizations can apply for a grant from the Cleveland VOTES Equitable Civic Engagement Fund by 5 p.m. on May 10 to support voter engagement work. Details here.)

This spring, we also sent a survey to organizations that do voter engagement work. We asked about their work, why they have found some people do not vote, and their thoughts about what news and information Ohioans need most. Here’s what they told us:

What information do voters need most?

The survey takers told us voters need:

  • Information on why other people in their neighborhood vote and examples of how voting can make change
  • Summarized lists of issues and information about each candidate
  • Information about the track records of elected officials
  • Specific voting information such as Ohio identification requirements, registration deadlines and information about mail-in ballots.

What reasons do unlikely voters give for not voting?

The survey takers said some of the reasons include:

  • Voting doesn’t make a difference
  • Lack of information
  • Not satisified with available choices

Tell us what you think

"*" indicates required fields

Signal background

Suggested Reading

Low voter turnout is everyone’s problem. And responsibility.

When did you last vote? We know, that’s private, no need to reply. But the numbers speak volumes on Americans’ ambivalence about democracy. The Pew Research Center found that only about two-thirds of the voting-eligible population showed up at the polls for the 2020 presidential election. And that was the highest voter turnout for any…

by Frank W. Lewis and Helen Maynard

Managing Editor, Community + Collaborative Media (she/her)
I look for innovative ways to center news on community interests so more Clevelanders can have positive, direct interactions with journalists. I seek out different opinions, support emerging journalists, and teach community writing and story development so people can tell their own stories, build their own power and make the change they want to see.

Associate Editor and Director of the Editors’ Bureau (he/him)
Important stories are hiding everywhere, and my favorite part of journalism has always been the collaboration, working with colleagues to find the patterns in the information we’re constantly gathering. I don’t care whose name appears in the byline; the work is its own reward. As Batman said to Commissioner Gordon in “The Dark Knight,” “I’m whatever Gotham needs me to be.”