RuralOrganizing.org releases its report today from a partnership with three local organizations to conduct Local Progress Reports, a hybrid canvassing/surveying method, to learn what community issues are most important in communities which often get overlooked by decision-makers.

The results indicate that reducing costs and improving rural quality of life continue to be top issues for respondents in Fairfield, Licking, and Athens Counties in Ohio.

The surveys also demonstrated a great deal of voter disenfranchisement, and that those who don’t vote often more nuanced priorities than those who are typically reached by polling and voter outreach efforts.