How to Decide Which Presidential Canidate to Vote For

Posted by Beverly Gartland

September 13, 2008

by Beverly Gartland

1. Use non partisan resources like The League of Women Voters, www.lwv.org, they provide independent non baiased voter education materials and resources. Consider trying the above link as well as various state or county league sites for more information. Primary information is posted, which you can also use as a reference for present candidate statements and positions.

2. Follow this link to the United States Senate site, which gives the voting record as well as other information regarding the senators. http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/legislative/a_three_sections_with_teasers/votes.htm

3. What do the Issues say about the candidate?: Look at proposals for addressing problems. What is the candidates voting record on the issue? Do they Understanding the history and the present situation, then moving forward with a specific strategic plan. Where do they Stand on current problems and how to resolve them. Differentiate words, rhetoric and personality from actual plans and actions for addressing and resolving issues and problems. Realistic plans for the future.

4. Watch the Debates: Consider recording the debates so you can replay them and compare responses made during the different debates. Viewing a debate 2 or more times usually provides added insight. Observe the candidate’s body language, subtle gestures and speech intonation to get added information about the candidate’s response and feelings. Additionally observe a candidate’s facial and body response to the opponent’s answers. Do not just rely on news commentators interpretations and opinions.

5. Search for different news channels, radio stations and commentators. Frequently a newspaper, channel, radio station or news commentator favors a particular party and/or candidate. Most newspapers actually list an editorial political preference. You may also want to look to foreign sources for presidential candidates

6. Include more objective information from sources such as The BBC, League of Women Voters, C-Span, census data, public service stations, voting records, the US Senate site, and first hand information.

7. Which statistics are correct? Sometimes each candidate offers different statistics on the same issue, sometimes both candidates are correct, however in other cases this may not be true. Some questions for interpreting the candidates statistics: How can the candidates give different statistics on the same issue? When was the data collected, what years or intervals were used? Who collected the data (was it a group or corporation with a vested interest)? Was the Sample large of enough for accurate results?

8. Have you already made a choice: Try to keep an open mind, consider all information and use objectivity. Be aware of your own biases. If you already have a favorite, it will probably affect how you evaluate the information about your candidate as well as the other candidate(s).

About the Author:

Bevery Gartland is a Professor emeritus in Sociology, she wrote this to her son on how to decide which candidate to choose for. Mcain Obama Debate

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