Picking a Candidate

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Voting in an election is a critical responsibility for every citizen. This is your chance to get the issues you feel are important addressed and is an important tool for reform or change where need be. But, before you can vote you need to know who you want to vote for -and this means doing some research so you can make an informed decision. It is only in the post-election aftermath that voters sometimes regret the choices they may or may not have made, so it is crucial that you make a well informed decision when you vote. There are some basic steps that every responsible citizen should take in order to make an informed decision that they can (and will) be happy about.

 

Before we get started it is important to stress that depending on where or in what country you live, you may or may not need to register to vote. So check up on that and make sure you are good to go. Once you have confirmed that you will be able to vote (and if need be, registered to vote), you will need to clear some personal time well before the date of the election. You are going to need this time to do a little research and even some self reflection. Remember, voting is a personal thing and that means that you are going to need to identify what you believe and what you want to change.

 

Outline your Issues

 

Before you even consider any of the candidates or parties running in the election you need to know what is important to you. Take some time and think about what you want to see happen in the government, what do you think about health care? What do you think about social assistance, education, military, peacekeeping, policing, justice, environment or any other issues you can think of. Make a list of what you would ideally like to happen in each category and even consider things that may not fit into any category (including any current griefs you may have with the current government or legal system). Once you have your list put it in order from most important to least important since you may not be able to vote for a system that endorses all of your beliefs; you will most likely be limited to picking a candidate that upholds most, or at least the most important, of your beliefs. This is your list and the candidate who you should consider will be addressing the most important issues on your list.

 

List ALL your options

 

Make a list of all the candidates that are running. It shouldn't be hard to find this information as there are plenty of websites whose sole purpose is to provide voters with information regarding who is running, what party they represent, where to vote and when to vote. A surprisingly high percentage of people often don't actually know who all the candidates are and what platforms they represent -these people are at a severe disadvantage because they have limited their own options due to lack of information. Remember, the most publicized candidates are rarely the only candidates.

 

Research the candidates

 

You should get as much information as possible about each and every one of the candidates, and it should be just as important to you that you receive your information from non-biased sources. There is a lot of catchy propaganda out there designed to sway your vote -and you don't want your future to be decided by who had the catchier slogan or better marketing team. Also, make sure you watch interviews and public debates that the candidates hold, if any. This is a great way to gather your own information directly from what the candidates have to say, instead of what popular media has to tell you about the candidates. Be sure that you understand exactly what the candidate will do if selected for the job, and always keep in mind that the politicians are supposed to work for you, and are accountable to you. Have any of the candidates ever been in office before? If so, did they keep their promises to the public or did they change their platform after elected? If they didn't keep their word in the past there is no good reason to assume they will not do so in the future so find a better candidate who will.

 

Compare your issues with the candidates' agendas

 

Now that you have the information about what the candidates believe in and what they are planning to do, you can compare that with the list you made earlier about what you believe in and what you would like to see happen. How do the lists compare? Is there one candidate who addresses more of your concerns than the others or is there a candidate who has promised to tackle all of your major concerns?

 

 

 

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