Ever wondered what a clerk of the peace does? How about a soil commissioner?
“Most people don’t know much about the day-to-day life of their elected officials,” said Kat Calvin, a practitioner fellow at UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy who is compiling a state-by-state digital resource to explain the jobs of officials voted into office. Encyclopedia Publica, part of Calvin’s work as a Karsh Institute fellow, is slated to launch online by the midterm elections in 2026. Her hope is that it will close one of our democracy’s most stubborn knowledge gaps: understanding the roles and responsibilities of our local leaders.
Calvin—a lawyer and voter education advocate—has spent almost a decade creating voter guides as the founder of Spread the Vote + Project ID. Through that work, she noticed a dearth of real-world information about the offices that shape daily American life. “If people don’t understand what the job entails, then how can they make an informed choice at the ballot box?” she said.
We sat down with Calvin to find out what it is going to take to make civic knowledge both usable and empowering—for the general public and for those who are considering running for office.
Q: How did you realize there was a significant gap in the public’s understanding of what elected officials actually do?
Calvin: Most people don’t know what the insurance commissioner does day to day. The secretary of state is in charge of what? When you’re voting for someone, you need to know what the job actually is so you can make the best choice. Googling it just doesn’t give you a real-life understanding.
Over the years, it’s been very clear that voters—especially low-propensity voters—don’t know what they’re electing someone to do. For a long time, I’ve wanted to build out an encyclopedia that explains what it all means, not just for voters but for people who want to run for office.
For a long time, I’ve wanted to build out an encyclopedia that explains what it all means, not just for voters but for people who want to run for office.
We all need to understand what democracy looks like on a granular level. And it’s so different from state to state, especially in a country as large as ours.
Q: In your work with voter education, what are the most common misconceptions or areas of confusion Americans have?
Calvin: Not knowing what our elected officials do makes it seem like they’re behind a smoke screen. We all have an idea of what doctors and teachers do on a daily basis, but not elected officials.
When I talk to leaders, they tell me they want to remind voters that they’re just people too. We can talk to them any time. They report to us. That’s the whole point. That’s why legislators’ offices are open—because “we the people” belong there.
Q: How do you make complex governmental roles feel accessible and engaging for people who may not have any background in civics?
Calvin: We’re writing descriptions of each office that make sense to regular people. We’re also pulling case studies of people who have held those offices and who are doing really important work. When people read those, they say, “Now I get it.”
Q: How will people be able to use this website to improve their daily lives?
Calvin: For this project, our primary audiences include voters; community members looking for help navigating local issues; individuals exploring what office they might want to run for; and anyone who wants a clearer understanding of the news and why it matters. You don’t understand the full depth of your community if you don’t understand the jobs of its leaders.
You don’t understand the full depth of your community if you don’t understand the jobs of its leaders.
For example, in California we’re having problems with insurance because of frequent fires. That is the insurance commissioner’s job. Or if I want to change a rule at the school, I can use the website to see what the schoolboard does. The soil commissioner could help when runoff is ruining my yard or when water is pooling in the wrong place. So understanding what all of these people do means you are better equipped to ask for help.
Q: Even if we understand their respective roles, is it realistic to think our leaders come into office already experts on every issue?
Calvin: There are hundreds of subjects upon which our leaders legislate. That’s why they have staffers and consultants. The public doesn’t understand the wide range of issues that our leaders have to become informed about, and quickly.
I have a bill in Congress that is my life goal to get passed. It’s the ID for Inclusive Democracy Act, and it’s for the more than 21 million Americans who don’t have IDs. It was up to me to find a member of Congress to sponsor the bill. Members of Congress have so many bills come across their desks. It's our job as citizens in a representative democracy to advocate to our representatives. That’s why I’m creating this website.
It's our job as citizens in a representative democracy to advocate to our representatives. That’s why I’m creating this website.
Knowledge is power. I hope Encyclopedia Politica will serve as a key that communities can use to figure out how to make change. The goal is to be a resource that can open doors. We learn about legislation that is meaningful, but we don’t know the nitty-gritty that it actually took to get something passed. I want to empower people to embrace that this democracy belongs to all of us. Knowing the rules and better understanding the system help us create a more representative and effective democracy.