A word about election coverage from our founder and editor.
TL;DR: We don’t accept political ads, so support our election coverage by becoming a member or donating through Venmo or PayPal.
Big Elections Require Big Coverage
2026 is a big election year, and while it feels like we’ve said that every year for the past decade, this year it’s true from a quantity perspective. There’s a lot on your ballot this year:
- School board candidates are now up in even years for the first time.
- With a six-way DFL primary for the second Congressional seat, we’re covering the Congressional race for the first time in our history.
All of that means local election coverage is more important than ever. And it starts now—we sent out candidate Q&As to primary candidates this week.
It’s pretty easy to find info about state-wide candidates, but when you want to know about City Council, ISD 197 School Board, Dakota County, and local school levies, you’re not going to find much. That’s where we step in to offer as much info as we can. We talk to candidates, we point to forums, we create a printable voters guide you can take with you into the voting booth. It’s an important decision and you deserve to be informed.
An informed electorate doesn’t come easy though. It’s hard work.
No Political Ads
We make it a little harder by not accepting political ads. You’re likely to see political ads all over as money floods these campaigns. In the past we’ve accepted these ads, and that can be a helpful bit of cash as we do the extra work required to cover campaigns. Candidates have already asked about advertising, and we said no.
It’s awkward. Seeing ‘Thanks to Candidate Jane for their support’ in our social media feed can raise questions. Seeing a banner ad for a candidate next to Q&As including that candidate and their opponents can make our impartial coverage seem biased.
Rather than raise those questions, we’ve opted to forgo the campaign cash entirely. We do not accept political ads. Other outlets do accept ads, and we don’t begrudge their decision. But we’re not going there.
That decision does hinder out bottom line, especially as we roll out candidate Q&As for multiple races and create a printable voters guide. We’ll be running seven articles in July alone just for the primary.
Support Local Election Coverage
So a simple ask: If you appreciate our election coverage, please support it. You can do that by becoming a member and supporting our work on a monthly or annual basis, or making a one-time donation through Venmo or PayPal.
Membership is the best way to support us because that ongoing support is something we can plan on. But we’re grateful for one-time donations as well. Every bit helps. We’re a part-time organization that relies on neighbors like you to help us keep this community informed.
Thanks,
Kevin D. Hendricks
Founder & Editor
