Building a more informed democracy — one precinct at a time.
Our Mission
Know Before You Vote (KBYV) exists to help voters make informed decisions in local elections — the races that directly shape our communities but often receive the least attention.
We believe every voter deserves to know where candidates stand on issues that matter to them, without partisan framing, editorial spin, or political bias. That's why we built a platform that matches your values directly with candidate positions using official data.
KBYV is a nonprofit project serving Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. We're focused on making local elections accessible, transparent, and understandable for every voter — regardless of political affiliation.
The Problem
Most voters can name their governor or president, but ask them who's running for school board, county commissioner, or district attorney — races that directly affect their daily lives — and most draw a blank.
Local elections have massive turnout gaps. Voters often skip downballot races entirely because researching dozens of unfamiliar candidates across multiple offices feels overwhelming.
KBYV solves this by doing the work for you: we map your precinct, show you every candidate on your ballot, and match their positions with yours in under 3 minutes.
70%
of voters
don't know who's on their local ballot before entering the voting booth.
Data You Can Trust
KBYV's commitment to accuracy, transparency, and neutrality.
Official NC BoE Sources
All candidate data pulled directly from the North Carolina State Board of Elections nightly.
WCAG 2.1 Compliant
Accessible to all voters, meeting international web accessibility standards.
No Partisan Colors
No red vs. blue. Just neutral alignment data based on issue positions.
Nightly data updates: Candidate information is refreshed every night from official NC State Board of Elections records to ensure accuracy throughout the election cycle.
Team
The people building KBYV.
Matthew Taylor
Founder
Matthew founded KBYV to address the information gap in local elections. A longtime Mecklenburg County resident and civic advocate, he believes informed voting starts with accessible, nonpartisan data.
Press Inquiries
For media inquiries, interview requests, or press materials, please contact:
press@knowbeforeyouvote.comWe respond to all press inquiries within 2 business days