Everyone has their own views about how the country should be run and the fact we get to vote on this is one of the reasons our country has been so great. But unfortunately politicians have become very good at making the public think they hold a particular view and once in office their actions seem to no longer be consistent with that view. With the country facing so many critical issues right now it is important that America votes for candidates that are willing stick to the views that they run on and can work together to get the country moving in the right direction again. So here are five simple bi partisan things to look for when deciding how to best cast your vote this next election.
First, looking at who the candidate’s biggest campaign contributors are is a great way to see who that candidate will fight for once in office. For example if a politician receives large donations from the oil industry, that candidate will want to keep the oil industry happy and create laws which benefit them because politicians are always in need of campaign money, and the next time the politician needs money the oil industry will want to continue supporting that candidate since they are willing to help them out in return. Although just because a politician receives money from an oil company it does not mean they are automatically going to fight for their interest and are bought because of course people and corporations are free to donate to whoever they want. However, it should become a concern when that is where most of their funding comes from, and it is unlikely a company would give money to a candidate if they weren’t willing to support policies that benefited them. When a candidate receives donations from a mix array of people it is a good sign that they will fight for the best interests of everyone.
Second, pay attention to what a candidate says when talking to different groups, if they change their message based on who they are speaking to at the moment it should be a red flag. But, if they stick to the same message even when it is not what that particular group wants to hear it is a good sign they will stick to what they say they will do once in office. If they flip flop during the campaign, you can be sure they will flip flop after.
Third, look at what the candidate has supported or done in the past, what they have done in the past is typically a good indicator of what they will do in the future. Of course people are allowed to change their stance on an issue, and that can be a good sign that they are open-minded and willing to admit their previous stance was wrong. However, it can also be a sign they are a flip flopper and are just willing to say whatever they think is popular in order to win. It can be hard if not impossible to know their true stance on an issue sometimes, but when in question go back and look at how they have most recently voted, who they have endorsed, and who they are receiving campaign contributions from.
Fourth, while it is extremely important to look at the candidate’s or party’s stance and past achievements, remember politics can get ugly and strategically in order to make one administration look bad the other party with the right circumstances can block much of what they want to do in order to make them look incompetent. This is great politics, but terrible for the country and is a huge indicator that some politicians care more about who is in power rather than helping the country. These are also the candidates who are most likely to be bought by corporations because they care more about helping out their biggest contributors than they do about helping the country, and if they are not in control it becomes difficult to help the corporations who are donating large sums of money. Remember, if a certain policy is good for the country than corporations would not need to pay politicians to support it.
Lastly, try not to focus on the candidates label i.e. liberal, conservative, libertarian etc. Often people have negative connotations toward political labels for reasons such as their parents talked negatively against them when growing up, from hearing bias reports or simply misunderstanding what they actually stand for. It can be easy for people not to listen to what a candidate has to say if they have a negative view of their label. Often when people fill out a questionnaire that asks them about their personal views on various political issues to see what party they agree most with, they find their stance on those issues are more in line with a party other than the one they had originally identified themselves with. This is why it is important not to focus on labels and look at the candidate’s actual stance; otherwise one could vote for a candidate when there was another candidate that was more in line with their views. Many times people defend their parties’ stance on an issue because it is natural to defend things one believes and they can subconsciously feel it is an attack on them as a person. So it is important to be humble and not take arguments on an issue too personal, and instead realize it is better to admit when our current view is wrong and change it rather than hold on to a stance simply because we are too stubborn to change. By not focusing on labels it is easier to make a more informed decision without bias.
With this next election so critical to our country’s future let’s hope America puts a lot of thought and consideration into their vote and does not simply vote for a party because they have always voted that way. If that is how you plan to vote this next election, then please use these five tips to see if you would still vote for the candidate you originally intended on voting for. But however you decide to vote make sure that it is carefully thought out so we can get back to being the America the world expects us to be.
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