Confused about measures T1, U1 and V1? Want a quick rundown on the candidates for Berkeley mayor, or your local council seat? Berkeleyside would encourage you to check out our own voluminous coverage to really dig into the details. But this election we’ve also partnered with Maplight to give you a powerful tool to sort through candidates and measures up and down the ballot.
Voter’s Edge gives you a personalized ballot, with information on endorsements, positions, donors and more in one easy-to-use site.
See Berkeleyside’s 2016 Election Hub for all our coverage.
Depending on which council district you live in, your ballot probably has 12 or 13 different races (from president to mayor to school board to Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District director) and 32 — yes, 32 — different ballot measures.
Voter’s Edge will take you through each race and measure, providing much of the information for informed voting choices. When you complete your list, you can print it out, email it or send a link to your phone for easy access.
The site really shines on the 17 state ballot measures. In addition to unbiased information on the measures and statements of the arguments for and against, Voter’s Edge lists the top 10 donors for both sides and provides a breakdown of where donations came from and the split between large and small donations (reality check: just about all the donations for ballot measures are large).
For example for Proposition 61, on prescription drug costs, proponents have raised $14.5 million, almost all from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Opponents have raised $108.9 million, with major pharmaceutical companies accounting for all top 10 donors (ranging from GlaxoSmithKline with $4.5 million to Merck and Pfizer sharing the number one spot with $9.4 million).
In contrast, Prop 64 on recreational marijuana sales has the preponderance of funding by proponents, particularly technology investor Sean Parker. Of the $22.8 million raised on the yes side, Parker and affiliated groups have kicked in $8.8 million and the New York-based Fund for Policy Reform has added $6.1 million. Opponents have only raised $1.6 million, most of it from Pennsylvania millionaire Julie Schauer, who contributed $1.4 million.
See complete 2016 election coverage on Berkeleyside.
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