Only Informed Votes, Please

I thought about this concept last week, then I totally forgot to post. My bad. Let’s say I owe you guys. Here’s the slogan I hear from every corner.

It doesn’t matter who you vote for, as long as you vote.

It might sound like a good idea, on the surface, but think about how it plays out. Most people don’t have the time to research all the candidates on the ballot. Even people like myself, who are fairly politically active, certainly don’t know about every single one of them.

Election Tuesday
I was standing in the voting area holding Barret, while my wife filled out her ballot. I took the time to observe how others voted, in particular, whether or not they took something with them, like some papers or a notebook, with them into their individual blue, plastic voting booth. Most didn’t. Maybe 1-in-10 did.

What does this mean? Well, I’m not certain, because I didn’t look over enough shoulders to form a statistically significant sample but I’d wager most people followed one of two methods: 1) vote the party line; or 2) vote for the names that “ring a bell.”

Just because someone is a Republican, doesn’t make them conservative. (This past 6 years is plenty proof of that!) There are some Democrats who are pro-life and socially more conservative than some Republicans. *cough* *Arlen* *cough* So voting the party line might be better than being blind-folded and tossing darts, but it’s not truly the way of an informed voter.

Voting for the most recognizable name is far worse. I’m sure there are goofballs who go, “Adams? Yeah, my son used to date a girl whose last name was Adams. I’ll vote for this person.” How horrible is that?!?

An Educated Electorate
So what’s the solution? Well, unless you have time to do the research yourself, (the Internet has all the voting records of everything ever voted on, if you can find it) then I think the only way someone can be informed in this day and age is to find an organization who: 1) believes in the same core values that you believe, 2) does the research on each candidates voting record, if that’s not available, at least their responses to a questionnaire, and 3) who produces a voter guide.

Note: Just a word of advice, some groups have named themselves such that must be a good group. “People for the American Way” support a kind of government that’s more socialistic then democratic, in my opinion.

As someone who believes very strongly in pro-family issues, I’ve utilized the American Family Association’s voter guides for many years. Even though the homosexual lobby here in Louisville have sought to demonize Dr. Frank Simon, our family has known Dr. Simon for years we trust his work to promote pro-family legislation in our city.

Unless you know what the candidates stand for, even better their voting record, it’s better for you not to vote. Because one thing we see on both sides of the isle, are politicians who say one thing then do another.

Know who you’re voting for or don’t vote at all.