Online Election Coverage
An array of innovative election-related features are now available at www.spokesmanreview.com/
elections/2004 as a supplement to the newspaper’s print coverage of this fall’s primary and general elections.
The Web site will conduct live chats with candidates, provide “blind” quizzes to help select candidates by issues, provide all the latest news and headlines about the candidates and the races, and engage readers in an interactive “blogging” experiment.
“Searching for Democracy” is an experiment intended to give voice to regular people. The goal is for the following eight “bloggers,” or online columnists, to represent the breadth of opinion, values and experience of people in the Inland Northwest:
“Your America,” and longtime S-R staff writer, will seek out average Inland Northwest residents, asking them to explain what matters most in their lives.
“Young America,” and brand-new S-R online staff member, will listen to what Inland Northwest young people have to say about their democracy.
“New to America,” and a graduate student in communications at Washington State University, will share insights and perspectives of people like him – first-time American immigrant voters in Idaho and Washington.
“Tomorrow’s America,” and a junior at Lewis and Clark High School, will be speaking with high schoolers for a “pre-voter’s” view of their lives and how they relate to politics.
‘Connor and Roger Benedict are avid readers and political watchers who come from different perspectives but with the same goal: to provide readers with interesting tidbits of information they find on the Web that might not appear in The Spokesman-Review or other “mainstream media.”
The live chats began last Friday, when Republican congressional candidate Cathy McMorris answered questions from readers. Her opponents in the Sept. 14 primary, Shaun Cross and Larry Sheahan, will field questions from readers on Wednesday and Friday of this week.
Chats with other candidates in many other local and regional races will be scheduled after the primary election.
The Web site also has posted a series of issues-related questions for the GOP Congressional candidates. Their answers appear side-by-side on the Web site, but with their names removed.
Voters can pick the statements they agree with, and at the end of the quiz see which candidate agrees with them and on which issues. The Web site also has quizzes for the candidates in the three contested Spokane County Commissioner primary races.
More quizzes on more races will be developed between the primary election and the Nov. 2 general election.