How To Be A Smart Voter

by Sandra Foyt on October 7, 2008 in social studies | 1 Comment

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If you’re looking for me to tell you who to vote for in the upcoming US Presidential Election, forget it.  No way.  A smart voter doesn’t listen to anyone with a pulpit and an opinion.

Don’t get me wrong.  I have opinions, very strong opinions, in fact.  If you know me outside the blogosphere, you already know who has my vote.

No, I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, but I’m going to ask you to do your best to be a smart voter.

It’s easy to be a smart voter.  Just take a little time to get informed.

Refresher Course

Are you a little rusty on how the American Election System works?  Take a crash course with The League of Women Voters Election 101 coverage.  Bone up on Election Basics: Electing the President; Registration and Voting Information, and an explanation of The Electoral College System in “Who Will Elect The President?

Another popular option is CNN’s Election Center 2008, which also has an Election 101.

Judge The Candidates

One way to learn about the presidential candidates is to watch the debates.  But, do you know how to judge the candidates?  Are you getting the most out of viewing the debates?

Review The League of Women Voters Debates 101 and you will be an expert on presidential debates.  This resource includes: Debate Watching 101, How to Judge a Candidate, Debate Discussion Guide and Notebook, and Top 5 Tips for Debate Watchers.

By the way, if you missed them when they aired, you can still catch all the debates on You Decide 2008.

Find Out Where The Candidates Stand On The Issues You Care About

The debates should give you a good idea of what the candidates promise, if elected.  However, you also need to know what they’ve actually done in the past.

On Project Vote Smart (entirely bipartisan and interest-free), you can look up the records of any elected official in the United States.  Find out their: Biographical Information, Voting Records, Issue Positions, Interest Group Ratings, Public Statements, and Campaign Finances.

Learn about the candidates’ position on the issues, and discover if your candidate’s record matches their platform.

Be smart, with less than a month to go before the presidential election, don’t put this off.  Make sure you and your friends are registered to vote.   See Rock the Vote! (Click for deadlines and registration information.)

Related Article:

I Don’t Want To Be An Ugly American
– A refresher course on American Foreign Policy.

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Techaura » Blog Archive » Rock The Vote 2008 with Lady Phoenix
October 8, 2008 at 12:21 pm

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