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WKSU'S "VOTERS FIRST" PROVIDES ON-LINE ELECTION INFORMATION 

Information about the state legislature, congressional and presidential 
candidates, their backgrounds and positions on various issues is now  available 
from the Voters First web site <http://votersfirst.wksu.kent.edu>.  The web 
site is another facet and production of the Northeast Ohio Voters First 
partnership.  Partners in the project are: The Cleveland Plain Dealer, WCPN, 
WEWS-TV, and WKSU.  

Northeast Ohio is one of 12 regions selected by National Public Radio (NPR) to 
participate in their election projects.  NPR developed the concept of the  
election projects and provided funding along with the Radio and Television  
News Directors Foundation, and the Pugh Charitable Trust.  The projects are  
designed to foster election coverage partnership among local media so that 
voters have access to coordinated and in-depth coverage of the issues and 
candidates.

The Gordon Black Co., a nationally-known research firm, was hired to conduct 
focus groups designed to identify the election issues that are important to 
voters.  In addition, a phone survey was conducted to quantify the level of 
importance the issues had among voters, in other words, what percent of the 
voters found the issues uncovered by the focus groups important, and how 
important.  

The web site includes biographical background on the candidates as well as  
their responses to the campaign issues.  "It's in both in a script form as well 
as audio.  So people have a choice.  They can hear the candidate, and  maybe 
get a bit more sense of things through the candidate's tone of voice, or, there 
is the option of just pulling up the text and reading the candidate's 
responses," said Mark Boardman, WKSU's News Director. 

All of WKSU's Voters First news stories are available through the web site,  
including in-depth reports on citizen forums conducted to discuss the election 
issues.

WKSU broadcasts NPR news and classical music at 89.7 FM, and is a service  of 
Kent State University.  WKSU programming is also broadcast on WKRW 89.3  FM in 
Wooster and WKRJ 91.5 in Dover/New Philadelphia.

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Please feel free to spread the word about or create links to the VOTERS FIRST 
site at your convenience.

Thanks.

 - Chuck Poulton
   Director of Information Technology, WKSU