House District 22 candidate announces launch of comprehensive info website for voters
O'Dell Isaac, The Gazette
A candidate for Colorado House of Representatives District 22 on Thursday announced the debut of a website designed to help voters make more informed decisions.
Daniel Campaña, who is running unaffiliated against incumbent Rep. Kenneth DeGraaf, R-Colorado Springs, and Michael Pierson, D-Colorado Springs, announced the launch of Legiscape, a nonpartisan, comprehensive database that will include the biography, platform, and legislative record of every elected official in Colorado, he said.
“If someone is not aware of their elected officials, what they do, or their record, they can’t hold their government accountable,” Campaña said during a news conference on the steps of City Hall. “We wanted to make it as simple as possible for people to find out who represents them.”
Campaña said the idea for the website came from a discussion he had with an acquaintance who said they didn’t vote in a primary because they could find enough unbiased information to make an informed choice.
Nov. 5 General Election: Key dates for ballots, voting and candidate debates, forums
“This website will be the answer to that problem,” he said. “It will give someone’s complete legislative record, so (voters) can make the decision for themselves.”
The website, which Campaña calls a “labor of love,” is the end result of six exhaustive months of data compilation, web design, and “lots of late nights” for his creative team, he said.
Colorado Springs City Council member Nancy Henjum, who was present at the news conference, said the website will help restore public trust in the legislative process and the officials who participate in it.
“In a time of such distrust and concern about our democracy, (Legiscape) is making it possible for people to quickly get information about the people they want to vote for,” said Henjum, who has endorsed Campana. “When you increase transparency, you build trust. And we’re really lacking (trust) right now.”
El Paso County starts vote counting test ahead of November election
To demonstrate, Campaña pulled up the bio and official record for State Rep. Regina English, D-Colorado Springs, who was also on hand at the news conference.
“A lot of times when people go to vote, there’s not an objective metric for the performance of our elected officials,” Campaña said. “If we can offer the public the equivalent of a universal credit score for every elected official … that changes the game.”
English, who has also endorsed Campaña, echoed his sentiments.
“This tool can be invaluable for legislators nationwide, enabling them to share their true record with their constituents,” English said. “There are no excuses this November for not knowing who your representatives are and what they do.”
The Legiscape website was set to go live Thursday evening during the “Bridging the Political Divide” event at the Ent Center for the Arts.
House District 22 candidate announces launch of comprehensive info website for voters
A candidate for Colorado House of Representatives District 22 on Thursday announced the debut of a website designed to help voters make more informed decisions.
Daniel Campaña, who is running unaffiliated against incumbent Rep. Kenneth DeGraaf, R-Colorado Springs, and Michael Pierson, D-Colorado Springs, announced the launch of Legiscape, a nonpartisan, comprehensive database that will include the biography, platform, and legislative record of every elected official in Colorado, he said.
“If someone is not aware of their elected officials, what they do, or their record, they can’t hold their government accountable,” Campaña said during a news conference on the steps of City Hall. “We wanted to make it as simple as possible for people to find out who represents them.”
Campaña said the idea for the website came from a discussion he had with an acquaintance who said they didn’t vote in a primary because they could find enough unbiased information to make an informed choice.
“This website will be the answer to that problem,” he said. “It will give someone’s complete legislative record, so (voters) can make the decision for themselves.”
The website, which Campaña calls a “labor of love,” is the end result of six exhaustive months of data compilation, web design, and “lots of late nights” for his creative team, he said.
Colorado Springs City Council member Nancy Henjum, who was present at the news conference, said the website will help restore public trust in the legislative process and the officials who participate in it.
“In a time of such distrust and concern about our democracy, (Legiscape) is making it possible for people to quickly get information about the people they want to vote for,” said Henjum, who has endorsed Campana. “When you increase transparency, you build trust. And we’re really lacking (trust) right now.”
To demonstrate, Campaña pulled up the bio and official record for State Rep. Regina English, D-Colorado Springs, who was also on hand at the news conference.
“A lot of times when people go to vote, there’s not an objective metric for the performance of our elected officials,” Campaña said. “If we can offer the public the equivalent of a universal credit score for every elected official … that changes the game.”
English, who has also endorsed Campaña, echoed his sentiments.
“This tool can be invaluable for legislators nationwide, enabling them to share their true record with their constituents,” English said. “There are no excuses this November for not knowing who your representatives are and what they do.”
The Legiscape website was set to go live Thursday evening during the “Bridging the Political Divide” event at the Ent Center for the Arts. However the website was later changed to indicate it will go live the weekend of Oct. 12-13, “right before ballots arrive next week!”
UPDATE: As of Monday afternoon, the Legiscape website had not yet been activated. Campaña said the server limits were being increased to accommodate high traffic.