Source: Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times
In less than a month, super Tuesday will bring out millions of voters across more than a dozen U.S. states to determine the November runoff races — or in some cases, elect candidates outright. California is among the participating states, though polling places will likely be less crowded given our vote-by-mail standard.
Democracy relies on public participation — and ideally that public is informed on the candidates and measures. But there’s an ongoing disappointment in some corners with political discourse and media coverage that frame elections more as horse races than a vital civic action with potentially life-changing consequences for everyday people.
In December I spoke with Jay Rosen, a journalism professor at New York University, about what he believes more news organizations should strive to deliver for voters: a “citizens agenda” that turns the attention from the political class to the electorate. The core of that approach is to ask:
What do you want the candidates to be talking about as they compete for votes?
In that spirit, I put versions of that question to newsletter readers. Hundreds of you shared what matters to you as California voters. We’re exploring your responses and planning more voter-centered editions in the coming weeks and months. But I wanted to highlight a few common themes emerging from your submissions so far.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2024-02-09/california-primary-voter-guides-citizens-agenda-essential-california