How to Figure Out Who to Vote For
- 1
You must register if you would like to vote in an election.Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
Register to vote, unless you live in North Dakota, which does not require registration. Visit your state's election Web page to begin the registration process and check deadlines, as most jurisdictions require you to register several weeks ahead of Election Day. Go to your local elections office if you do not have a computer or Internet access. If you will not be in the district in which you're registering on Election Day, you can apply for an absentee ballot. - 2). Decide which issues are important to you. There are single issues, such as abortion, the death penalty and job creation, but you must also decide the type of candidate you generally support, such as their views on taxes and the role of government.
- 3). Research the candidates who are running in the election. Understand the issues that are important to them and their position on current policy debates.
- 4). Read articles from credible news sources. Read the endorsements that newspapers write. Endorsements are a publication's official support for one candidate. They do background research on the candidate and offer an educated opinion to help voters choose their candidate.
- 5). Research the candidate's voting history. This indicates their values in terms of policy and the types of changes they will support. Other information, such as committee participation, also indicates what issues are important to them.
- 6). Follow the election until Election Day. Be sure your candidate hasn't changed views on an issue that you care about or dropped out of the race.
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