Being an INFORMED Voter

I am not one to be outspoken on politics because I know everyone has their own view and each of us is entitled to that view point.  I work sixty plus hours a week as a mom who has her own business and believe me it was not an easy fit for my schedule to sit down and write this blog post but I felt this was important. So I hope a few of you will read this and act upon it.

I have talked to several people in the past few months and of course the presidential election comes up.  I have taken my duty as an American voter seriously and have tried to learn everything I can about each candidate, their proposals, their voting records and their attendance records.  What surprises me is the number of people I run into who do not really understand what they are voting for.  They have listened to clever advertising, smear campaigns (which I HATE) etc. and have not done any of their own research. I know it's time consuming to research but if we are going to vote, we have to be informed and we have to really understand what we are voting for. 

I met one woman who told me she doesn't know who she's going to vote for until election day. She says she goes into the voting both and just 'decides on the spot' as to who she feels like voting for that day.  Others I have talked to tell me they are voting for this candidate or that because of a certain issue.  When I ask for more details (trying to see if there is something I can learn too), I realize their only information is what they've heard in an ad or via a chain email. If you are not checking the validity of those political emails that cross your desk, you need to be.  Most of them are junk.  

I have seen people post things publicly on Facebook which when checked are absolutely untrue.  There is a lot of hype and negative campaigning but let's not be people who add to the confusion. If you're going to post something or state an issue as if it's fact, make sure you have done your research and you know that what you are posting or sending on is true. 

Additionally, I highly recommend you watch the debates. People say they are fluff, but it does give the candidates a chance to talk for themselves rather than relying on what we've heard from political ads.  It also gives us a little glimpse of their character to see how they talk on the spot without a rehearsed speech.  I realize they do a lot of prep for these but it's still the closest thing we will get to hearing candidates speak from their minds and hopefully their hearts.

If you do not know BOTH candidates voting records, you need to look into that.  If you do not know BOTH candidates attendance records in office and at attendance for important meetings that is also something you should research. After all, it's a job and if I am being paid to hold an important office I better be at the meetings. 

When you hear something about a candidate, look it up for yourself.  AND by the way you need to even check the so-called "Fact Checkers". Several times now I have checked the 'fact checkers' and found that their 'fact checking' did not stack up with actual stats and real timelines.  You have to realize that many 'fact checkers' work for organizations that have have a proclivity for one side or the other.  Sadly, we just cannot trust the media to tell unbiased truth anymore. So research these things for yourself.  

Believe me, I know it's a big mess out there with tons of ads, poor reporting, skewed viewpoints etc.  But we really have to try to wade through it to find the answers for ourselves because I believe they are out there if you dig.  As I said, I am not here to tell anyone who to vote for. This is only an appeal to ask each of us to be informed voters.   From what I've researched on budget and debt and some other issues that are important to me, I believe this is one of the most important elections we have had in many years. We are at a critical time in our country's debt cycle and the next four years really can make an impact as to how things will be for our kids.  As a mom, that's important to me.  So, try to visit sites that are non-partial to get better information, look at voting records, look at meeting and attendance records and yes, if you have time even read their proposals for change.  I know most of these proposals are public record. So friends, I'm inviting us all to be smart this year and really 'know our stuff' when we step into that voting booth.

 Happy researching everyone.