Every election cycle the voting public is bombarded by political messaging and confrontational content that amounts to little more than an accusation. Especially when each side is selling a promise to save democracy.
Now, whether your values lie more to the Right or the Left, I truly believe that, as voters, making informed decisions is our most basic responsibility. I have found that most people, when it comes down to it, share the same (or similar) set of values. We simply differ on the ways in which those values should be implemented or adhered to. Some want the government to enforce them, others prefer self-enforcement.
No matter which way we choose to vote on any issue or candidate, we must get the politics out of the way and get informed. So, how do we do that?
The Voter Guide and Sample Ballot
These are NOT junk mail, though they often get treated that way. The Voter Information Guide is the booklet that each state sends out in the mail every election cycle. They contain everything you need to now about the measures, proposals, and candidates that will be on the ballot in the upcoming election. All those commercials that tell you “this person or that group supports this measure,” or “look who paid for this ad” they’re all in this booklet. I live in California, and this is generally what ours look like. Now, if you don’t get one in the mail, it’s easy to find the .pdf version online. To fully prepare yourself for November 5th, you’ll need the guide and sample ballot, which also comes in the mail (in California).
Basically, the process of preparing to vote begins with the voting guide, and ends with filling in the sample ballot. If you’re going to the polls, you can take your pre-filled ballot and simply transfer the information onto the real ballot. Even if you’re voting from home, this is good practice. It gets those mistake votes out of the way.
Where Do I Start?
Open your voting guide and start reading. The index at the front will give the page number of anything you may be looking for. There is a list of candidates running for various offices in local elections which are just as important as federal elections.
If you’re like me, you can dedicate an hour to researching the issues in your state and learning about the candidates you’re not familiar with. OR, you can keep the guide nearby for whenever you see an advert for a particular measure (there will be thousands in your inbox, mail box, and on your screens). Then you can grab the guide and look it up to see what the measure is really about. Too often, a proposed law or measure is advertised as one thing and ends up being something completely different.
Politicians have this tendency to create problems by disguising them as solutions and voters need to be wary. Personally, I vote NO on almost every measure. If I can’t understand it: NO. If I’m unsure about it: NO. If it’s tied to another measure that may not pass: NO. I am not all-knowing and prefer to err on the side of caution.
Here’s a great example why: a few years back, there was a measure proposing the ban on all single-use plastic bags at grocery stores. It would impose a fee on all plastic bags. The ban was tied to a second measure that would take the new .10 cent fee for each bag and apply it to a non-specific environmental cause. It sounded good on the surface. The bag-ban passed, overwhelmingly. Californians didn’t mind paying a dime per bag, so long as they were reusable and the money was going to a good cause. But the second measure that allocated the funds did not pass. We pay for the bags and have no clue where the money goes. Do the stores keep it? Does the state? What does that state do with that money? I have no idea! But there are billions more reusable plastic bags in our landfills. The initial measure made the problem worse.
The guide also has sections that explain each measure on the ballot for yourself, without the partisan slant. This is important because bias is everywhere and this booklet offers the least bias you will find in explaining the politics of any election cycle. You get to exercise those critical thinking skills by read the proposed laws themselves and learn how much they’ll cost (will they raise taxes? Use bonds?) and then, if you’re not sure, you can look at the expert opinions for and against the proposed law or measure, and then decide for yourself if it’s something you want. Even better, you can explain them to other people when they seem confused about something. You could be the voice of reason in the room.
I hope this was helpful. If you need more information, comment below or follow one of the handy links to help you get informed!
Handy links:
California Official Voter Information Guide
Ballotpedia offers a plethora of information for voters in every state
U.S. Election Commission website where you can sign-up to be a poll worker
A.R. Rivera 