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A case · you decide
Nadia's first ballot
Nadia, 18 — about to vote for the first time, holding a ballot with two measures she has never heard of
Nadia's feed is full of a slick video: 'Measure 1 is FREE money for schools — vote yes!' The ballot in her hand has a plain-language summary and, underneath, a fiscal note in smaller type.
The summary says the measure fixes leaking school roofs. The fiscal note says it borrows $60 million as bonds, repaid from property taxes over twenty years — about $92 million with interest. "Free" is doing a lot of work in that video.
This is not about whether the roofs should be fixed — that is Nadia's call. It is about reading what the money actually does before she decides, and checking who made the video before she trusts it.
The video says the bond is "free money". What does Nadia do to understand the money?
A site attacks a candidate with a scary claim. How does Nadia check it?
Nadia did not vote the way the video wanted, or the way it feared. She read the ballot, checked the claims, and made her own call — which is the whole point of a first vote.
How are you feeling?
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A case · you decide
Theo and Nadia and the judge on the ballot
Theo & Nadia, 18 — eighteen, voting next to Nadia and puzzled by a yes/no question about keeping a judge
At the bottom of the ballot: "Shall Judge R. Alvarez be retained in office? Yes / No." No party is listed. Theo's cousin texts him a meme saying to vote no on every judge.
Many states run judicial retention elections: voters decide whether a sitting judge stays, and the ballot shows no party on purpose.
Some states publish an official evaluation of each judge up for retention, based on attorney and juror surveys, courtroom observation and written opinions.
How should Theo decide?
A retention question has no party because it is about one person's record, and that record is public.
A case · you decide
Imani and Nadia and the deadline
Imani & Nadia, 18 — eighteen, moved to a new city for a job three weeks before the election
Imani gets a text that says she can "register at the polls, no problem." She registered at her old address last year. The election is in nine days.
Rules differ by state. Some allow same-day registration; many close registration weeks before an election, and a move can change where, or whether, you are registered.
The official state or county election office website lists the real deadline and lets you check your status.
What should Imani do?
A deadline is the one part of voting that cannot be fixed afterwards. Check it at the source.
The parts of a ballot 5
A ballot is not one question — it is a stack of different kinds. Five guides, each one part.
- Prop — a proposition — a plain-language change you vote yes/no on
- Bond — borrowed money the fiscal note says is repaid, with interest
- Retain — a keep-or-not question about a sitting judge — on the record, not party
- Precinct — where and how you vote — mail, early, or election day
- Deadline — the registration cut-off you cannot miss
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