GET TO KNOW THE CANDIDATES

• What’s at stake in this race
• What does the mayor/city councilmember, assessor, office holder, etc. do?: 
• You might know them from:
• Here are some of the things that they don’t do:
• Fast facts about [[the race, office, district, etc.]] 
• What’s on the agenda for next term:
• What it takes to win:
• The candidates<b> </b>(See example <a href="https://laist.com/news/politics/2024-election-california-general-irvine-mayor"><u>here</u></a>)
• <b>Follow the money</b>
• How to get involved:

What’s at stake in this race

Keep it brief. Here’s an example.

What does the mayor/city councilmember, assessor, office holder, etc. do?: 

Tell this simply, in 5-8 bullet points, one sentence or paragraph per item is ideal, but if you need to go longer, do so. Example here.

You might know them from:

Some real world examples of how the power of this office works would be great, told in no more than 3-5 bullet points. Example here.

Here are some of the things that they don’t do:

Include some details explaining the outer limits of the role. Example here. 

Fast facts about [[the race, office, district, etc.]] 

We’re looking for little curiosities, interesting facts about the race, its history, political dynamics, term limits, boundaries, etc. No more than 3-5 items, briefly told in bullet points, one sentence or phrase per item. Example here.

What’s on the agenda for next term:

No more than 3-5 items, briefly told, no more than a paragraph per item. Example here.

What it takes to win:

In one sentence, make it easy for readers to understand how this race works. (Example: If they make the 50%-plus-one threshold in the primary, is the race called? Will the top two finishers face off in the fall? Does the initiative need more than 66%)

[[[Copy/paste/repeat the following candidate block for as many candidates as you have in this particular race.]]]

The candidates (See example here)

Firstname Lastname Brief job description

[[[Candidate / Measure contact info: please get phone number & email for follow-ups. This will not go into the story but we need it to ask campaigns for photos, etc.]]]

Two to three graphs about each candidate. (But if you need to go a bit longer to delve into an incumbent, for example, do so.)

In their own words

If you are doing a candidate survey on this race, the answers will go here. If you are not doing a candidate survey, skip to the next section. 

More voter resources:

• Candidate website
• Flag any noteworthy endorsements 
• Full endorsements list here. (Provide a direct link to their endorsement list on their website, if available.)

Go deeper: 

• Links to any helpful info like LAist stories, other media, etc. Scroll down to end to see an example.
• TK
• TK

[[[When you have all the candidates add, skip to the rest of the template:]]]

Follow the money

Short description of funding to date if you have it or know anything about it. If not, skip to next section.

How to get involved:

• Add info on how voters/readers can get involved / how to watchdog your city government. Example: An info box on how to attend city hall meetings and a link to info on how to make a comment. You can find an example at the end of this story here.