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NPR Stations Assemble Voter Guides for the Ballot Races Campaign Ads Forgot

October 30, 2026 at 6:01 AM EDT · New York time

NPR member stations are gathering voter information, including local race coverage and guides, for the 2026 midterms. The resources are organized so voters can find material from their state and local station before making their choices. A national election can dominate attention with Senate races and presidential appearances, while a ballot also contains contests much closer to home. State and local offices can influence schools, taxes and public services, even when their candidates do not receive the same amount of national coverage. A guide gives voters a way to locate reporting on those races rather than treating the lower half of the ballot as a surprise examination. The stations' effort brings together resources that vary by community, from broader guides to information on individual local contests. It is a practical response to an election season in which the loudest campaign is not necessarily the only one a voter must consider. A Senate advertisement may find a voter repeatedly without being invited. Information on a local race can require a little more searching. The guides try to make that search easier, which is useful news for anyone who has reached a ballot and discovered that democracy has more pages than the television commercial suggested.

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