Elections are less than 24 hours away!!! Now is the time to reconsider one’s options. There is a two part question that should be in the minds and hearts of every voter who has not opted to vote early. What candidate should I vote for and why? Certainly this question should be coupled with subsequent questions.
The Questions of Relevance
As voters sit down to contemplate their final decisions, they must find a balance between passion and rational logic.
Does the Candidate Share My Political Views?
Before solidifying a choice, raise this question. Often voters select a candidate based on their political affiliation and a desire to be part of a collective. While political affiliation is good for identifying like-minded people, it also creates a translucent window of vision. Often party members ignore differences of political opinion in order to vote with the herd or avoid alienation among peers. It should be in the interest of every voter to choose a candidate that he or she completely agrees with because it is his or her right to do so. This includes every mainstream campaign issue and other issues the voter regards as contemporary.
The purpose of the previous paragraph is not to discourage compromise. When a voter is choosing someone to directly represent his or her views, there should be very little room for compromise.
Has the Candidate Been Honest about His or Her Intentions?
Politically active voters are usually very aware that the promises made by politicians are not kept very often. Those who are politically active also know that politicians are experts at saying things in a way that is very misleading. With this in mind, voters must be sure that their candidate of interest has been honest about his or her intentions on any contemporary issue. Consequently, it is important to be able to see through the rhetoric being use by any candidate especially one’s candidate of interest. If a candidate has to hide his or her intentions through glossy statements, it should be apparent that that the candidate isn’t honest.
“Nothing is more essential to the establishment of manners in a State than that all persons employed in places of power and trust be men of unexceptionable characters. The public cannot be too curious concerning the character of public men.” -Samuel Adams
Do I Intend on Holding My Candidate to His or Her Promises?
After discovering the intentions and the integrity of a candidate, it is important to decide whether or not one is willing to hold that candidate to the standard established through the campaign. It is at this point where many voters abstain. There is a basic verbal agree between a candidate and his or her constituents. This contract is made on the grounds that the candidate will keep his or her promises in exchange for a constituent’s vote. In any other contract, most people are willing to make sure that the other party meets the terms of the agreement, but when it comes to politicians, voters have less zeal in carrying out this task. As a result, voters become dissatisfied after 4 or 8 years of a broken agreement.
The Final Decision
If one views voting as important, then he or she should spend a considerable amount of time researching all the candidates (including third party candidates). Political affiliation, religious denomination, and race are not important in regards to selecting someone to be the chief representative of the United States of America. Integrity, morality, and ethics are important when making this decision. It is also important not to let anxiety and the fear of one candidate influence the voting for another.
"Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual - - or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country." -Samuel Adams
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -John Quincy Adams
-Bryant