Website to provide election information

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Voters in the Midlands will soon have another web-based resource to help guide them through the election process.

The League of Women Voters of the Columbia Area has added Richland and Lexington County voter guides to a nonpartisan website, www.vote411.org. The site’s official launch will take place May 22 at 10 a.m. at the Richland County Library's main branch.

The site was created by the League of Women Voters Education Fund in October 2006. It takes voter guides from around the country and provides information for voters in specific districts, including candidate and polling place information and voter registration tools.

“Voters in Columbia can type in their address and see a personalized ballot,” Janelle Rivers, league president, said in a statement. “Our group has added our voters’ guide to the site so it can serve as a resource for Richland and Lexington County voters.”

The site will feature ballots for the June 12 primaries through November’s general election.

“This service is invaluable for those wanting to learn which offices they will be voting on,” Rivers said. “They can compare candidate responses on the important issues and see other items on the ballot.”

Other local leagues in the state are providing voting guides for their areas. They include Beaufort, Charleston, Clemson, Darlington, Greenville, Hilton Head, Bluffton and Spartanburg.

Nationally, more than 325,000 people have visited the Vote411 website this year, outpacing 2016 numbers, according to a news release.