Don’t worry, this post is not a political ad. I’ve made up my mind who I’m voting for, but the point of this post isn’t to endorse either candidate. With the election only a matter of days away, have you made your decision on which presidential candidate you’re voting for? I’m always surprised at how many people still consider themselves “undecided” this close to election day. It makes you wonder how this is even possible, especially in an election such as this where the candidates are so different and have such contrasting views on how to move the country forward.
So, how does one decide which presidential candiate to vote for?
There are so many important issues out there. Do you focus on a small handful of issues and vote for the candidate you most idenfity with on those core issues? It’s pretty easy to go online or read the paper and find out where the candidates stand on a wide range of issues. Make a list of the five issues that are most important to you, and then add a column for each of the candidates. For each issue, put a checkmark next to the candidate that best matches your view on each issue. Whoever has the most checkmarks gets the vote.
Or maybe you have only one issue that is super important to you, and you’re choosing a candidate based on that one single issue. This is certainly easier than reviewing a number of different issues, and I think a lot of voters fall into this category. There are a lot of hot-button issues that people feel very strongly about, and they vote accordingly.
A lot of voters simply vote along party lines. It’s certainly easier to fill out a ballot this way. You only have to fill in one circle at the top of the ballot to select which party to vote for, and put your ballot in the box. I’ll admit that I’ve always voted straight ticket. The two main political parties are so different and have different stances on the issues that it is easy for someone to identify with one party over another. Every now and then, however, there will be a local race where it becomes more difficult to vote strictly along party lines. The more local the race, the less important the distinction is between republican and democrat and the more important the individual’s own views are.
The thing that somewhat bothers me are the people who have no idea what either candidate stands for, but go in and vote for one candidate anyway. I know that there is always a big push to get everyone out to the polls, and I understand that. Voting and making your voice (however small) heard is an important part of what makes our country great. But if you’re voting simply to say “I voted” without knowing anything about the people you’re voting for, I think it defeats the purpose.
So, have you made your decision on which presidential candidate you’ll be voting for next week? You don’t need to share who you’re voting for, but how did you come to your decision? Did you base it on one issue, a handful of issues, along party lines, etc?
3 comments
Lance@MoneyLife&More
November 2, 2012 at 8:50 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I know the differences between the candidates and voted based on who I thought would make America a better place in the future. I early voted to avoid lines on election day.
John S @ Frugal Rules
November 2, 2012 at 10:05 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I think I’ve made my decision, but am not set on it yet. I am not happy with either one of the candidates and might be voting third party. I tend to look at those issues most important to me and go from there. I don’t vote straight party ticket as I am a registered Independent, but look at the candidates and where they stand. It usually results in me voting 50/50.
Jane
November 3, 2012 at 12:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I haven’t decided yet, but I’ll start doing my research. Shouldn’t be hasty when choosing a candidate. Thanks for this post!