What is a “Citizens Agenda” and how does it work?
Cascadia Daily News will put election issues in the hands of readers for the important upcoming midterm election, beginning with primary season and extending through General Election day, Nov. 7. Our coverage will follow two tracks:
- Regular news stories and election updates in CDN’s news pages at cascadiadaily.com and in our weekly print edition.
- A separate, complementary project, CDN Citizens Agenda, that encourages reader-voters to “set the table” for election coverage by passing on their own answers to a simple question:
What do you want candidates to be talking about as they compete for votes?
The goal is to have you, the reader, establish the framework for election issues, rather than candidates relying on their own “talking points” or personal agendas. The Citizens Agenda strategy has been employed by many U.S. and Canadian media outlets over the past two decades, with favorable results; publications have consistently reported campaign coverage that’s more relatable and meaningful to readers, allowing them to make more informed election decisions by setting their own agenda for election coverage and avoiding rote candidate talking points.
What’s the process?
CDN will assemble readers’ submissions into a large list of most-requested topics and publish them, asking readers to vote for the most important subjects. Armed with this information, CDN’s editor and reporters will put those chosen questions to candidates who participate in our endorsement process. We’ll also be asking the questions at public forums and other places to better focus the news reporting we do about the candidates.
What’s the incentive for candidates? If they don’t answer your questions, we’ll note that they declined to do so in our CDN Voter’s Guide, which will appear in October before the general election.
Questions? Contact Ron Judd, executive editor, at ronjudd@cascadiadaily.com.
Relevant articles (2024)
April 5: With democracy on ballot, voters will lead the way in CDN’s Citizens Agenda 2024
Relevant articles (2023)
Oct. 13: Endorsement interviews (videos)
Oct. 13: CDN Voter Guide 2023: Endorsement summary, candidate responses to Citizens Agenda questions
Oct. 13: CDN endorses: ‘Yes’ on Prop 4, Whatcom County Jail/services tax
Oct. 12: CDN endorses: Seth Fleetwood for Bellingham mayor
Oct. 11: CDN endorses: Tanksley in Whatcom County Sheriff’s race
Oct. 10: CDN endorses: Jon Scanlon for Whatcom County Council at-large
Oct. 9: CDN endorses: Satpal Sidhu for county executive
Relevant articles (2022)
Oct. 19: CDN Voter Guide CDN endorsement summary, candidate responses to Citizens Agenda questions
Oct. 12: CDN endorses: Shewmake, Rule, Timmons, Ramel for Legislature
Oct. 5: CDN endorses: Larsen for Congress, Rands for District Court judge
Sept. 28: Making a case for local candidate endorsements: CDN’s role in the coming election
Sept. 7: To some, ‘Citizens Agenda’ is fine — as long as they’re setting it
Aug. 31: Winners, and no real losers, in Citizens Agenda polling: A big-picture look at local voter concerns
Aug. 10: It’s (almost) last call for CDN Citizens Agenda: Questions for candidates due by week’s end