Vote411.org Now Online, Available To MoCo Voters

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Information on candidates for every office in Montgomery County is now available at www.vote411.org. VOTE411 is a comprehensive guide to candidates and ballot questions, according to the Montgomery County League of Women Voters, enabling voters to see the candidates who will appear on the ballot in their election district by entering their address.

The League of Women Voters posed questions to all candidates and invited them to list their websites and social media information. Response rate of the non-presidential candidates was 87.5%, with 83.5% also responding in Spanish.

Ballot questions are explained in plain language with summaries of arguments for and against each amendment, taken from public hearings on each proposal, according to a MWVMC news release. VOTE411 also offers the voters the opportunity to see Spanish translations of the candidates’ responses to questions, as well as the explanations of the ballot questions.

VOTE411 also includes links to the official Board of Elections website to request a mail-in ballot or update their voter registration information, for example, to provide a new address.

Ralph Watkins, LWVMC vice president for voter service, said, "Maryland usually has some of the largest numbers of users of the VOTE411 system, but we want to do everything we can to reach more even more voters with reliable information about the candidates."

The printed Voters’ Guide from the League will be available in early October in libraries and other locations. A Spanish edition will appear in El Tiempo Latino on Oct. 11, and will also be available in libraries and some other locations.

Printable pdf files of both the English and Spanish editions of the Voters’ Guide will be available at www.lwvmocomd.org.

LWVMC President Susan Albertine said, “Now more than ever, we need voters who are educated about the issues and informed about candidates’ stands on those issues. We are very proud of the service we provide to the voters of Montgomery County. No other group has such complete coverage of every office on the ballot.”

Jane Clarenbach, editor of the Montgomery County Voters’ Guide noted VOTE411 is accessible worldwide for voters who are voting by mail-in ballot.