BERKELEY, Calif. – A preliminary analysis of Web site traffic to the comprehensive online voter guide Voter’s Edge California reveals that some of the most high-profile propositions on the statewide ballot are garnering less attention from users of Voter’s Edge California than ballot measures largely outside the public spotlight.
An analysis of Voter’s Edge site traffic throughout October showed the three ballot measures to receive the most attention from users dealt with hospital fees (Proposition 52) and revenue bonds (Propositions 53 and 51) rather than hot-button issues like marijuana legalization, the death penalty and condoms in adult films. High profile propositions on tobacco taxes (Proposition 56) and prescription drug pricing (Proposition 61) rounded out the top five most-viewed measure pages.
Voter’s Edge California, a joint project of MapLight and the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund (LWVCEF), provides voters with unbiased information on the entirety of their ballot in English and Spanish, encompassing candidates and ballot measures down to the local level. Users can easily access information on the campaign funding behind California’s 17 statewide measures, including the top 10 donors to committees for and against each proposition.
Top Ballot Measures on Voter’s Edge California by Pageviews:
- 1st – Prop. 52: Private Hospital Fees for Medi-Cal
- 2nd – Prop. 53: Public Vote on Revenue Bonds
- 3rd – Prop. 51: Bonds for School Facilities
- 4th – Prop. 56: Tobacco Tax
- 5th – Prop. 61: Prescription Drug Costs
Previous Voter’s Edge visitors have also echoed this sentiment. In an online survey, more than 90 percent of respondents indicated that Voter’s Edge was useful to them, with nearly three fourths reporting that they would vote for more offices and leave fewer blank choices on their ballots because of information they found on Voter’s Edge California.
As voters increasingly rely on digital sources for news and election information, Voter’s Edge has also made significant improvements to its interface to facilitate easy mobile use. In October alone, Voter’s Edge received over half a million site visitors, more than a third of which accessed the site by mobile. That marks a dramatic increase over 2014, when slightly more than 15 percent of users viewed the website on mobile devices.
“Voter’s Edge California puts unbiased election facts in the hands of every Californian,” said Melissa Breach, Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. “Thanks to an easy-to-use mobile site, voters can study up and save their choices, while riding the bus, watching TV, or just waiting in line”.
