There is a lack of education and awareness among citizens regarding what their elected officials do and how the work of elected office influences their lives. This leads to disenfranchisement and a lack of political participation. People need easy access to clear information and knowledge to leverage their power.
The Matriots would like Can’t Stop Columbus to tackle the problem of incomplete, inaccessible, or inaccurate information about what elected officials do: the purpose, responsibility, and impact of their position in connection to the issues someone may care about.
Our proposed solution is to create a system where a person could go in and see all of the names and descriptions of the different positions people are elected to in Ohio. They could then access and use some sort of filter that would allow them to pick the issues and areas of impact they care about and point them to the offices responsible for that particular thing in government and how they influence it. Under each elected office, we would also love it to be able to tell you if their are any upcoming elections for that office and where. As well as identify and mark any Matriots-endorsed candidates past or current that have held that particular seat.
The descriptions need to be easy to use, visually appealing, and skip the legalize and insider jargon. Just simple, easy access to what our Ohio elected officials do.
The Matriots
The Matriots are a non-partisan organization committed to advancing women’s equal participation in all aspects of political life in Ohio. We envision a world where all women have equality, influence, and power. We identify and endorse women candidates in Ohio that share our values. We strengthen the poltical voices of women by advocating legislation and policies that uplift women. We encourage women to get involved and leverage their power by dymystifying the political arena; its systems, processes, and roles.
The Matriots have three entities to help us advance our mission: the Matriots Education Fund (a 501(c)(3)); the Matriots Action Fund (a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization); and the Matriots PAC, a political action committee organized under Ohio law.