Beyond the Ballot: What you can expect from The Defender’s 2024 election coverage

The Kansas City Defender is excited to be enhancing our political coverage for you this year; beyond the presidential election, Missouri and Kansas will be specifically deciding its school boards, senators, governor and more. For us however, while we view participation in electoral politics as crucial, we do not view it as the sole avenue for our community’s political and democratic expression. Our reporting provides holistic coverage and analysis of our community’s democratic expression beyond the ballot box.& This election year is already shaping up to be highly contentious. Community morale for the presidential election is at an all-time low, and Kansas City is contending with issues like the recent Super Bowl Mass Shooting, a police department under federal investigation for racism and discrimination, an ongoing assault on trans and reproductive rights, and the need for reparations. Our coverage this year aims to fully investigate public officials in accordance with these issues by, both, holding candidates accountable to their actions in real-time, and fully analyzing how their running platforms will address the aforementioned and more. But, most notably, our coverage will share the work of organizers, community members and leaders building hope and Black futures beyond just one voting day....