Helping voters understand the issues by applying a basic journalism skill

Years ago, when I was just a cub newspaper reporter, one of my editors taught me a valuable journalism skill — how to cut through the crap. Back then, I happened to be working on a story about a local measure that was on the ballot. I did my homework by reading the official language used in the voter’s guide and talking to both opponents and proponents for some additional insight.

The problem was, as my editor pointed out in more colorful language, was that everyone involved had an agenda when it came to the measure. If I was going to truly serve the readers, I would need to read between the lines and question the driving forces behind each side’s motives. I would have to cut through everyone’s crap — including that official language put out by the government.

What I needed to do, he said, was to make it easier for real people to understand the true stakes behind the proposition because, frankly, voting is hard. Ballot measures are complex, with all sorts of nuances and implications. But the TV commercials and mailers don’t tell you that. Sometimes, they don’t even tell you what — exactly — you’re voting on.

Several years ago, when my daughter reached voting age, I realized how hard it must be for a young voter, who not only has limited insight into some of the issues but also lacks some of the historical contexts about something that voters approved before she was even born. That year, I studied all of the issues, gathered some family and friends around the dining room table, bought a couple of pizzas, and led a discussion about the issues that were on our ballot.

This year, I took a different approach. Because voter enthusiasm is greater than I’ve seen in years and so many people have become comfortable with video meetings (and learning), I focused my ballot party on the California propositions and extended an invitation to the many Californians in my Facebook network.

I spent weeks studying the propositions by reading news stories, studying the official language, and taking note of what they were telling me in the TV commercials and mailers — and what they weren’t. And because I’m one of those journalist-turned-PR types, I organized the talking points about all 12 propositions into a 56-slide Powerpoint deck. (Yeah, I’m kinda nerdy like that.)

The crowd was small and manageable — more than two dozen people on the video call and another half dozen or so at the dining room table with me. Many had said they just wanted to listen and learn. But others began asking questions with the first proposition.

Despite all of my homework, I still fell short when it came to answers for them. But what I didn’t expect — and really appreciated — was how many people on the video call chimed in with some answers and perspectives of their own. Some even took it upon themselves to do some real-time research while I moved on and then reported back to the larger group.

It was truly a group of people who were eager to be informed voters.

And then came the one measure — a $24 annual parcel tax extension — where I was truly able to show the value of digging deeper. On the surface, it appeared that voters were being asked to extend the tax but, deep in the fine print, I not only discovered that the current tax doesn’t even expire for another nine years but also that, by voting to extend the tax, we were actually voting to extend it indefinitely — until future voters stop it.

It’s funny how the mailers failed to mention that.

Over the years, I have perfected the ability to cut through the crap. As a tech reporter back in the dot-com days of the early 2000s, I learned how to explain complex technologies to mainstream audiences by getting past all of the tech jargon and marketing hype that made it hard for everyday people to understand.

As a communications professional today, I help my clients get past their own jargon and marketing hype so we can tell the stories of what they do and why it matters to audiences who care — or should care.

And as a voter, I like to think I’m still performing a public service by engaging friends and family — now extended by way of video — on the issues that go beyond the partisan issues of the day.

I’m convinced that voter turnout is traditionally low because voting is not easy. It takes a lot of time to study the issues and make your decisions. It’s not just voting for the president or the mayor or a school board member. Sometimes, your yes vote actually means no. Sometimes, the measures that you think don’t impact you may trickle down and hit you the hardest.

If you want to be an informed voter — whether that means getting past the rhetoric of a candidate or digging into the fine print of a ballot measure — it helps if you (or someone else) knows how to cut through the crap.