With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
#WhoMailedIt: Share your campaign mail with KPCC
Even with all the new technology at their fingertips, candidates for office continue to use the U.S. Postal Service as a conduit to the voter.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Ardy Kassakhian is running for California State Assembly in the 43rd District in Glendale.
Glendale City Councilmember Laura Friedman is running for California State Assembly in the 43rd District in Glendale.
Vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 8 election will soon hit Southern California mailboxes. The pitches from the candidates themselves already have.
Even with all the new technology at their fingertips, candidates and the groups that support them continue to count on the U.S. Postal Service as a conduit to voters, touting their message or slamming the competition on glossy mailers. Some send "slate cards" listing a collection of candidates or measures to vote for.
We want to examine this mail to ask: What claims are candidates and their supporters making? Do they vary by geography, race or ethnicity? Are their claims even true?
KPCC wants you to help us explore those questions through a project we're calling #WhoMailedIt.
Sponsored message
There are several ways you can participate:
- Tweet us an image and hashtag it #WhoMailedIt on Twitter. Make sure to black out your street address (we recommend a Sharpie).
- Using the email address whomailedit@scpr.org, snap and send us a photo of that political ad that you receive in the mail. Be sure to let us know your zip code.
- Offer up a claim being made so we can fact-check the candidate.
- Share a little about yourself — like your age, race or ethnicity or household income — as we try to gauge whether different communities are receiving different mailers from the same candidate or group
A special thanks to all who emailed, tweeted or delivered hard copies of mailers before the June primary. We received more than 13 pounds of political mail before election night. A series of nasty, negative mailers collected through the project lead to multiple election season stories.
And we're not stopping there: our pile of general election mailers is just starting to stack up.
At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
