CalMatters Builds Quizzes for California’s 14 Propositions

California voters will face 14 statewide propositions in November. CalMatters has turned its election coverage into interactive quizzes designed to make the measures easier to understand. The format presents statements as cards and assigns them weight on a visual scale, letting readers compare the reasoning on opposing sides.

Graphics reporter and illustrator Shelly Tan said the project was created with somewhat younger voters in mind, particularly those who value elections but may not follow every policy detail. Its design draws from card-based games. Illustrations and humor help translate proposals whose effects can be difficult to depict. Proposition 5, which concerns changes to the recall process, is explained with an image of Gov. Gavin Newsom inspired by a familiar internet meme.

CalMatters is also taking its voter guide to communities around California through VotingMatters gatherings organized with colleges, nonprofit groups and local newsrooms. Upcoming stops listed in the article include an evening program at Redlands Public Market with Community Forward Redlands and a Tuesday event in Montecito with Noozhawk. The quizzes give Simi Valley voters another way to sort through a crowded statewide ballot before deciding how to vote.