Putting together breakdowns of local, state and federal elections is no easy task — trust me, I’ve done it plenty. But putting together a comprehensive ballot breakdown that includes bios and illustrations of virtually every candidate in the field? That’s something else altogether, but it’s a challenge the good folks at Please Vote Nashville have risen to.
Top-notch Nashville musicians Tristen Gaspadarek and Ellen Angelico and the rest of the all-volunteer team at PVN have issued their nonpartisan ballot breakdowns for a number of local elections now, including great context and background information for every candidate and issue in the field — not to mention sharp illustrations by talented artists Kami Baergen and Rachel Briggs. Their breakdowns are free to download via pleasevotenashville.org, and for recent election cycles, the nonprofit has teamed with local street paper The Contributor to put them in print.
Please Vote Nashville is a true service, a labor of love and a resource that’s helpful for first-time voters and longtime election watchers alike. With the midterms now in the rearview, it’ll be a while before those of us in local media have to fire up the old election-coverage machine again. (We’re bracing ourselves for next year’s mayoral election, God help us.) But when the time comes, PVN and The Contributor will surely be there for Nashville voters once again. And for that, we say thank you.
—D. Patrick Rodgers
Editor-in-Chief, Nashville Scene
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