Greenwich, Conn. – When 17‑year‑old Kiki Taylor watched her mother vote at North Street School, she realized the information needed to make an informed choice was scattered across voting records, campaign sites and news stories. Determined to help fellow voters, Taylor spent her summer building Match2Vote, a free online guide that lets users answer ten issue questions and see how their answers line up with candidates’ documented positions.
How the guide works
Match2Vote covers the 2026 Connecticut governor’s race and all five congressional districts. After a user selects their priorities, the app compares them to each candidate’s publicly recorded stance, linking every position to its source – whether a voter record, a news report or a statement on the candidate’s own website. Party affiliation is shown only at the end for identification, keeping the matching process strictly issue‑based.
Local focus, state‑wide impact
Although the tool was inspired by a personal experience in Greenwich, its reach is statewide. Taylor notes that many lower‑profile candidates are hardest to research, but the guide flags any gaps with a clear “Not stated” label rather than guessing a position. This transparency aligns with the values of responsible citizenship and parental guidance that many Connecticut families cherish.
Technology and oversight
The coding was accelerated with AI tools, but Taylor retained full control over issue selection and source verification. An additional AI system scans sources for discrepancies, flagging potential errors for manual review. When the checker identified several votes recorded backward, Taylor corrected them by consulting the original documents, ensuring the guide’s accuracy.
Learning from other voter guides
Taylor cites the League of Women Voters of Connecticut’s VOTE411 guide, which in 2024 received responses from 108 of 334 General Assembly candidates and 10 of 16 federal candidates. She also points to Germany’s Wahl‑Omat, which logged 26 million uses before its 2025 election and was shown in a Public Opinion Quarterly study to improve political knowledge measurably.
Why the guide matters now
Early voting in Connecticut runs October 19 through November 1, with Election Day on November 3. Match2Vote’s quiz takes only a few minutes, stores answers locally on the user’s device, and requires no account, email, ads or tracking. By giving voters a quick, trustworthy snapshot of where candidates stand, the guide encourages informed participation – a cornerstone of a free and responsible electorate.
Looking ahead
Taylor hopes the guide will grow to cover the full ballot and more issues, but she emphasizes that a solid, transparent foundation is more important than a rushed, incomplete product. “We can all be friendly even when we disagree,” she says, recalling bipartisan moments she observed while working as a Senate page. Her project embodies that spirit, inviting Connecticut families to engage thoughtfully in the democratic process.
Original reporting: The Connecticut Mirror — read the source article.
