By The Walt Bodine Show
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kcur/local-kcur-915799.mp3
Kansas City, MO – The papers and airwaves are filled with stories about a few big battles for hotly contested congressional seats or spots in the Senate. But how is a voter supposed to know what's on their local ballot? Or what exactly that county ballot issue is about? Or how two seemingly similar state house candidates of the same party line up on the issues?
A group of local journalists and academics have teamed up to create the Midwest Democracy Project , a new portal that gathers candidate surveys, news articles, and in-depth analysis in one place. KCUR's Sylvia Maria Gross talks with a creator of the site about how it came to be and how it's being used.
Then, using the site as our starting place, we explore some of the key races in next week's elections for the Kansas Legislature and the Missouri General Assembly, sizing up what primary battles might tell us about the future direction of state government.
Guest: David Klepper, editor, Midwest Democracy Project; Topeka correspondent, The Kansas City Star
