Be An Informed Voter

Just because you have the “right” to vote, doesn’t mean that you necessarily should.  Being an informed voter is much more important than just logging another vote.  With the election upon us, if you haven’t already started, now is a good time to start looking at the candidates, looking at the issues, and deciding what choice is the best for you and your family.

First things first, start ignoring all the rhetoric.  Voting for one side because they “say” they don’t sling mud as much as the other guys is not a good reason to vote for someone.   Both sides do it, both sides say they don’t do it, so your best bet is to start ignoring it.  It is not easy to pick out the the important details in a speech when that very speech is designed to make you emotional, so sometimes it’s best to just do the research on your own.  With so much available to us on the internet, it is almost impossible NOT to make an informed decision.

First, think about the different issues that are out there, either affecting you or affecting those around you.  If you can’t think of that many, look on the internet for typical issues addressed in a campaign.  Think about those issues, and think about where you really stand on those issues.  Sometimes that is not an easy decision to make, and on some of the issues you may not have an opinion.  That’s ok!  If you even have one issue that you have researched and learned all about, you are ahead of the game.

When you have that issue, take a look at how each candidate stands on it.  Not only where they stand on it, but what they intend to do about this issue.  If this is something you feel strongly about, and one candidate doesn’t even broach the subject, that doesn’t necessarily mean automatically vote for the other guy.  You must make sure that not only does the candidate have an opinion that somewhat matches yours, but they have a game plan to fix or alleviate the issue, whatever it happens to be.

It doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but do your homework.  Don’t just vote for someone because your parents are, or your friends are.  Vote for someone who you think will strive to make a difference on the issues that most concern you.