Ballotpedia:How to write articles about ballot measures

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Contents

A successful article on Ballotpedia about a ballot measure:

  • Tells readers everything they could want to know about the measure.
  • Is readable.
  • Is balanced and neutral in its point-of-view.
  • Describes the arguments each side uses to make their case to the public.
  • Covers controversies in a fair, balanced and neutral way.
  • Includes information about any lawsuits involving the ballot proposition.
  • Uses sections, subsections and other graphic formatting to make it easy for readers to find what they want.
  • During election campaigns, regularly updates information on donors and campaign tactics used by both sides.
  • Includes useful references and external links.

It also:

See also: Ballotpedia: How not to write articles about ballot measures.

Naming the article

See also Naming conventions on Ballotpedia

The preferred format is to start your title with the name of the state, followed by the descriptive language by which the initiative is generally known, followed (in parentheses) by the year that the measure was either on the ballot or would have been on the ballot had it made it.

Examples:

In most states, ballot measures are given an official ballot number sometime after they qualify for the ballot. Once that happens, the name of the article should generally (but not always) be changed to reflect the official number of the ballot.

An example of a time when it is not advisable to change the title of an article is when:

  • The title by which people know it is neutral and descriptive (for example, "Michigan Stem Cell Initiative").
  • Reporters, proponents and opponents continue to refer to it as the "Stem Cell Initiative" (for example) even after it has been given a number.

Introductory paragraph

The introductory paragraph should refer to whatever names people might know the initiative by, within reason. This ia a courtesy to the reader, so that they can quickly tell whether they are reading an article about the initiative they were looking for.

An example of this is when there is a controversial initiative whose supporters and opponents, within their constituences, refer to the same measure by very different titles. For example, a ballot measure to ban gay marriage might be known by different people as a:

  • Protect Marriage Amendment
  • Gay Marriage Ban

In cases like this, it is important to say something like, "Proposition 520 is also known as the Protect Marriage Amendment and the Gay Marriage Ban.

Status of initiative in introduction

The introductory section should have a sentence familiarizing the reader with the barebones of the status of the initiative. Examples include:

  • It has been certified by the Secretary of State for circulation.
  • Its supporters turned in 321,592 signatures on July 2 to qualify it for the fall ballot.
  • It won, with 51.2% in favor.
  • The initiative was heading for the November 2008 ballot, but its supporters did not collect sufficient signatures to qualify it for the ballot.

Components of a good article

To write an article well:

  • Know where to go to find information about the ballot measure
  • Divide the article up into standard or useful sections, as suggested below.

Introduction

One of the best ways to start an article about an initiative is to include these pieces of information in the first few sentences:

Section about supporters

This section customarily appears before the section labeled "Opponents". The section would ordinarily have a paragraph or two of prose that tells the reader who the primary supporters of the ballot measure are. This could cover:

  • The names of the people who filed the official wording with the election officials in the state prior to circulation or, if the ballot measure is a legislative referral, the names of the state legislators who sponsored the bill in their state's legislature to refer the question to the ballot.
  • The name(s) of the officially-filed committee(s) that support it.
  • The names of several prominent individuals who support it. For example, if the governor of the state supports it, that's prominent and it should be mentioned.

The "supporters" section would then go on to have several subsections. These subsections normally are:

  • "Arguments in favor"
  • "Donors"
  • "Path to the ballot" (This section could be called "Petition drive" prior to qualification).
  • "Consultants".
  • "Campaign videos". You can embed a YouTube video on the page to illustrate the campaign videos being run by the supporters. One way to handle the "look" of the page is to put the campaign videos on a separate page, as in this example.

Section about opponents

This section customarily appears after the section labeled "Supporters". The section would ordinarily have a paragraph or two of prose that tells the reader who the primary opponents of the ballot measure are. This could cover:

  • The name(s) of the officially-filed committee(s) that opposes it.
  • The names of several prominent individuals who oppose it. For example, if the governor of the state opposes it, that's prominent and it should be mentioned.

The "opponents" section would then go on to have several subsections. These subsections normally are:

  • "Arguments against"
  • "Donors to opposition campaign"
  • "Consultants".
  • "Campaign videos". You can embed a YouTube video on the page to illustrate the campaign videos being run by the opponents. Use great care in this decision; otherwise, the graphics can easily get out-of-balance on the page. One way to handle the "look" of the page is to put the campaign videos on a separate page, as in this example.

Arguments pro and con

Each article will ideally include a subsection outlining the arguments that are being made in favor of a proposition, and a subsection outlining the arguments that are being made against the proposition.

  • The purpose of these sections is for you, the Ballotpedia contributor, to describe the arguments that are actually being made for and against the ballot question you are writing about.
  • That means you should be able to source each argument you mention, because if you can't find a source that is making that argument, that implies that no one is, in fact, making the argument. The argument you have in mind might be the very best argument one could make for or against the ballot proposition. But, if no one is in fact making that argument, it shouldn't be in the article.
  • As needed, use language that clarifies the source of the argument you are describing. For example, "This ballot proposition will solve our budget problems by...", according to John Clever, in an op-ed published in the Daily Newspaper. Or, "This ballot proposition will bring our state's economy to a screeching halt", according to the website of the initiative's opponents.
  • These subsections are normally included as two separate subsections, one under "Supporters" and one under "Opponents". See California Proposition 11 (2008) as an example.
  • There are (at least) two options for how you can characterize the arguments that are being made.
  • You can quote the actual arguments. This gives the reader the exact flavor of how the measure's supporters or opponents are actually talking about it. The actual words or phrases used as arguments by those involved in supporting or opposing a measure can be raw, vigorous, aggressive and full of spin. The arguments offered up by those on campaigns can also be misleading, either deliberately or by accident. The positive case to be made for quoting the real things people are saying is that it lets the reader know exactly what people are, in fact, saying. The negative case is that without exercising significant care in how you write it, you might appear to be endorsing or agreeing with some facts or charges the opponents/supporters are making as part of their argument.
  • As an example, if the ballot proposition is about a plan for how to change the way your state's legislative boundaries are drawn (re-districting), the supporters might say something like (exaggerating for the sake of emphasis), "The current legislature is composed of corrupt felons, so our state needs a better way to draw legislative districts so this never happens again." It's certainly possible that a prominent spokesperson in favor of the measure might say that. But, if you quote it directly, the article may appear to be agreeing with or endorsing the factual assertion that the state legislature is full of corrupt felons.
  • You can characterize arguments that are being made, without directly quoting raw, aggressive or potentially misleading claims. This allows you to lay out the main reasons people are giving for their position, without putting yourself in the position of appearing to agree with factual claims that are part of their argument, but which have not been established (or may not be true).

Information about donors

Typically, you'll have two subsections about donors; one under "supporters" and one under "opponents".

  • If you mention the top five or ten donors to a campaign, and the amount of their donation, please include a modifying sentence such as "As of March 18, 2009, the top five donors to the campaign and their donations were..." This lets the reader know how current the information is. It also lets future contributors to the article know which new campaign finance filings they need to look at, versus the older campaign finance filings you have already reported on in the article.

Section about polls

Has a reliable polling firm published a poll about the ballot measure? If so, it is very desirable to include that information in a separate section of the article. The section can be called "Polls" or "polling information."

Here's an example of a poll box you can cut-and-paste into your article.

Month of Poll Pollster In Favor Opposed Undecided
Sept 2008 Reliable Opinions 49 percent 42 percent 9 percent

Finding content

Here are good places to find out about the ballot measure. If an article has already been started and you want to add to it, these resources can be consulted for additional detail and information.

  • Do double check the information already available on Ballotpedia. Many states already have information available on I&R law, Historical listing of initiatives (up until 2000), links to campaign finance laws and profiles of government officials.
  • Do a Google search to see if you can find the websites of the groups that supported and opposed the initiative.
    • Another good way to find out who supported the measure is to check out the campaign finance reports associated with the measure on your state's website.
  • Go to Project Vote Smart’s website and enter the name or some appropriate search words for the initiative you’re interested in.
  • Go to the I&R Institute website
    • Make sure to check out the BallotWatch feature on this website. It's an excellent resource for ballot trends and ballot specific information.
  • Another great source is the National Conference of State Legislatures. The site contains an easy to use state by state breakdown of I&R law and petitioning requirements. It also contains a feature that allows you to search for initiatives and referendums by state, year and topic in the Ballot Database.
  • Look at the Lexis/Nexis website for newspaper articles about the initiative
    • Lexis Nexis is a website that has local/national archives of newspaper articles. Usually you can access it through your university or local library.
  • If you do not have access to Lexis Nexis, make sure to check out Google News
  • Consult Wikipedia
  • Try a Google blog search.
  • Don't forget to visit your state's ballot measure website. Although the quality of these websites varies considerably from state-to-state, in most states you can find some information about each ballot measure.
    • All states also have a campaign finance reporting database. Search for the measure, look at contributors and do some investigating of your own through a simple google search to find out about the contributors and any interesting connections!

Stylistic considerations

It is very helpful for the reader if you:

  • Break your article into easily readable segments.
  • Use charts, bullet points and other graphic devices to create an orderly, easy-to-read article.

Typographical tips

The way to create a section heading or title is to surround the title with two equal signs, like this: 

 ==The case for support==
 ==Controversies==
 ==Press coverage==

If you want to create a subsection within that section, you do that by surrounding the subsection title with three equal signs, like this: 

 ==Supporters==
 ===Arguments in favor===
 ===Donors in favor===

Norms about capitalization

The preferred norm about using capitalization in section and subsection headings is that you only capitalize the first word in the heading, unless subsequent words in the heading are proper nouns.

  • "Polling information" is preferred over "Polling Information".
  • "Newspaper endorsements" is preferred over "Newspaper Endorsements".

External links and references

At the bottom of your article, you will ideally include some external links to provide additional sources for the readers.

Good external links

Some valuable external links include:

  • A link to an official copy of the text of the initiative.
  • Links to official supporting and opposing websites.
  • Links to the campaign finance reports of supporters and opponents.
  • Links to any official voter guide put out by the state. (Not all states have these; in states that do, they are indispensable as links).
  • If any serious, credible, non-partisan group in the state puts out genuinely non-partisan voter guides or proposition analyses, these are good external links.

Considerations

  • You might include an external link to a blog that focuses very narrowly on the subject of the initiative, but exercise due diligence.
  • As the election campaign proceeds, there will be more and more links. With this in mind, at some point you might consider breaking up the "External links" section itself into subsections. Three subsections could be "Basic information", "Supporters" and "Opponents". (Here is an example.)

Conventions

It has become a convention on Ballotpedia to put external links in the order of basic information, followed by support websites, followed by opposition websites.

References

Help:Footnotes explains how to add references in the text of the article. Also, see Help:Citation conventions.

It is a convention/guideline on Ballotpedia to use footnotes at the end of a sentence, rather than internal linking in the body of the text. For example:

  • Colorado Unity is a statewide coalition "dedicated to preserving and promoting equal opportunity," according to the group's website.[1]

is the preferred format, versus typing it this way:

  • Colorado Unity is a statewide coalition "dedicated to preserving and promoting equal opportunity," according to the group's website.

Adding useful category tags

Any article about a ballot initiative should have several category tags at the bottom of the article.

For example, an article about an eminent domain ballot measure in Oregon in 2002 should have the following category tags:

  • “Oregon ballot measures”
  • “2002 ballot measures”
  • “Eminent domain ballot measures”

See Help:List of Ballotpedia topic categories for a complete list of topic and category tags.

References

  1. ↑ Website of Colorado Unity
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