Local Media Organizations Unveil First-of-its-Kind Voter Guide for Kansas and Missouri Elections

Kansas City, MO, July 16, 2024 – The KC Media Collective and The Kansas City Star announce the launch of a groundbreaking, regional initiative designed to provide widespread coverage of the 2024 election cycle.

This unprecedented collaboration brings together major local media organizations to ensure residents have access to information about candidates and issues from local to state and federal levels–nearly every race voters in the region will see on their ballot– just in time for the August primaries. Information for more than 100 races compiled by 40 journalists from seven local media outlets is available on kcvoterguide.org.

The 2024 KC Voter Guide will provide wide-reaching coverage of candidates and issues on both sides of the state line heading into the August primaries. After results are confirmed, a printed version will be produced–in addition to the online version–to support voters as they prepare to head to the polls in November. The guide will be available in both English and Spanish and will be widely distributed throughout the Kansas City region via community organizations, events, and venues, ensuring the broadest possible reach.

Visitors to kcvoterguide.org will also find essential voter resources such as registration deadlines, voter tips and more.

This initiative marks the first collaboration between the Kansas City Media Collective (American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, KCUR, Missouri Business Alert, Startland News, The Beacon) and The Kansas City Star. It is focused on supporting local voters with accessible and accurate local journalism to stay informed in a critical election year.

Additional partners in this project include RevEd.

About the Kansas City Media Collective

The KC Media Collective is a collaborative initiative designed to support and enhance local journalism in Kansas City. The Collective is committed to making local news easily accessible, ensuring equitable coverage, and maintaining sustainable operations through collaboration and the sharing of resources. The Kansas City Media Collective is comprised of six dedicated nonprofit organizations each serving unique roles in the community. American Public Square at Jewell improves public discourse in Kansas City through events and resources that promote civility, facts, and balanced perspectives. Kansas City PBS, a longstanding multimedia organization since 1961, delivers diverse content on civic affairs, arts, and culture through multiple broadcast and streaming platforms, while its local journalism arm, Flatland, focuses on in-depth multimedia reporting. KCUR-FM, the flagship NPR station in Kansas City since 1957, provides free news, information, and entertainment, and leads several regional news collaborations. Missouri Business Alert, a digital newsroom from the Missouri School of Journalism, offers top business news across Missouri and prepares students for careers in business journalism. Startland News, established in 2015, highlights Kansas City's innovation community with stories about entrepreneurs and creatives. Lastly, The Beacon, an online news outlet launched in 2020, delivers in-depth, data-driven journalism on key regional issues such as health care, education, and civic engagement. Support for the KC Media Collective is generously provided by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and each partner organization’s members, subscribers, and supporters.

About Kansas City PBS

Located in the heart of Kansas City, MO, Kansas City PBS is a non-profit multimedia organization serving the community since 1961. The PBS member station airs diverse content focused on civic affairs, science, food, drink, arts and culture on four television channels, including Channel 19.1, 19.2, 19.3 (Create) and 19.4, the 24-hour PBS kids channel. Channels 19.1 and 19.4 are also available to live stream online, with programming available on-demand in the PBS App and Kansas City PBS Passport, a member-benefit streaming service. Kansas City PBS serves students, caregivers and the local education community through free online resources, workshops for parents and teachers, and annual conferences and events. It also owns and operates the local NPR music station, 90.9 The Bridge, providing nonprofit radio in a AAA format to listeners over the air and online streaming. Kansas City PBS’ nonprofit source for local journalism, Flatland (flatlandkc.org), produces multimedia reporting focused on civic affairs, arts and culture, food and drink, and education. For more information on Kansas City PBS or its wide variety of local and national content, visit kansascitypbs.org.

About The Kansas City Star

The Kansas City Star is our region’s largest newsroom and covers both Kansas and Missouri. Published since 1880, The Star has won nine Pulitzer Prizes, the most recent in 2022. The Star’s journalists champion local news and reach nearly 12 million digital readers each month. We’re committed to holding the powerful accountable and to telling stories that represent the diversity of people, culture and viewpoints in Kansas City, while helping our neighbors live smarter, healthier and better informed lives. The Star’s reporting on issues such as local businesses, restaurants and sports helps our readers to explore the vibrant and ever-changing Kansas City region. Connect with us on social media @thekansascitystar or at KansasCity.com.