SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In hundreds of exchanges with voters online and at more than 30 community events, ABC10 pushed to cover elections differently with a simple approach: proactive listening.
Led by ABC10’s Race and Culture team, the ABC10 voter engagement project expanded this year to focus our political coverage on the details voters told us they needed most.
“We know from talking to voters that the old ‘horse race’ approach to covering politics leaves people behind,” said ABC10 Director of Special Projects and Engagement, Gonzalo Magaña. “Rather than assume what voters need, we rebuilt our entire election strategy around asking voters to tell us what they need.”
Starting in August, ABC10 teamed up with 19 local organizations to reach areas with low voter turnout and connect with BIPOC communities. The goal was to reach as many people as possible, especially communities who have been historically disenfranchised in elections, giving them information to help them vote.
The project, supported by a grant from the American Press Institute, began in the 2022 election cycle. ABC10 proactively engaged voters in informal conversations and survey responses allowing them to ask open-ended questions.
These responses guided ABC10 to create our voter guide more than 100 election stories. About a third of the stories were created to directly answer questions asked by voters.
The coverage reached races up and down the ballot, from the President of the United States to the Sacramento mayor’s office.
We also received questions beyond the candidates and issues on the ballot. We covered topics like mail theft, early voting, how ballots are counted and local grassroots efforts encouraging people to vote.
One constant refrain from voters is the frustration over making decisions on the statewide ballot propositions up for election.
ABC10 produced a series of videos explaining exactly what a YES or NO vote would mean for all 10 statewide propositions on the ballot this year. It’s a public service we’ve provided since the 2018 election.
“When you vote on a proposition, you’re the lawmaker,” said reporter Brandon Rittiman, who helped produce the series. “So we play the role of your policy advisor. Our series doesn’t try to influence how you vote. We simply brief you on what your vote would actually do to California law.”
ABC10 continues to innovate new ways to reach voters on the screen they want at the time they want.
The entire package of coverage is available to watch anytime under the “news” tab of the ABC10+ app, available on all major smart TV platforms.
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