How to Choose a Candidate

• Also try: How to Choose a Political Party | How to Vote

Guide Note: With all the mudslinging that goes on during a political campaign, how does one know How to Choose a Candidate? This page will help you get informed so you can decide who you'd like to see in office.

Introduction

• You've heard their names. You've seen their faces. You know what parties they belong to. But if the candidates all blend into a political haze in your mind, you'll want to do some thorough research so that you can strut confidently into that voting booth on election day. How exactly do you figure out who is right for you?

Research, Research, Research

Know who is running

• It's tough to know who to vote for if you don't even know who's running. Luckily, the age of technology allows for other people to do all the hard work for you. Simply check out Mahalo's guide to the 2008 presidential candidates.

• Since the presidential election isn't the only one you should be aware of, head over to Vote411.org to find out who is running for office locally in your state.

Pick the issues

• It's important to support a candidate you feel you can trust to make decisions you would agree with. But let's face it: it can be an overwhelming task to be completely up to date on every relevant issue politicians have to deal with. So how can you be expected to keep track of it all?

1. Decide which issues are most important to you.
   • What do you feel strongly about? What issues get you fired up during a discussion?
   • Take stock of your life. What issues affect you, personally, the most?
   • Perhaps you have a family and education is a priority. Maybe foreign policy, health care, taxes, or the environment are what really strike a chord with you.
2. Pick a handful of these issues to focus on.
   • Choosing a single issue makes as little sense as trying to pick them all.
   • Narrow your choices down to about 3-5 key issues. Feel free to pick more if you feel comfortable.
3. Make a list.
   • Write down each issue you've chosen, along with your personal stance on it.
   • You can use this list as a sort of scorecard when evaluating the candidates in the next step.

Find out everything you can about the candidates

Fill that ballot out with confidence! (Creative Commons photo by Dawn Endico)

• Now that you know who is running for office and what issues are important to you, gather as much information as you can on each candidate, until you have a good idea of who they are and what they represent.

1. Visit their official websites.
   • This is always a good place to start, because you can get a good outline of the issues that are important to each candidate.
   • Since you will be provided with generally one-sided information, don't base your entire opinion on their website.
2. Read interviews and articles on the candidates.
   • Interviews can help you get an idea of how they think and how they answer the hard-hitting questions.
   • Articles and opinion pieces may open your eyes to possible controversies or criticisms.
   • Read newspaper editorials from sources and authors you trust and generally agree with.
   • Online political blogs can be informative, but check up on the writers' credentials to see if they're legitimate.
3. Watch the debates.
   • There are always multiple debates in which the candidates take part. This can be a great way to size them up against each other.
4. Look candidates up on non-partisan websites.
   • You can find unbiased information on each candidate from organizations such as Vote411.org.
   • Project Vote Smart provides voting records and backgrounds for each candidate.
5. Take an online quiz.
   • Some websites such as Glassbooth offer brief online quizzes that can help show you which candidates you share the most common ground with.
6. Attend a political rally in your area.
   • Candidates travel and campaign around the country. If you get the opportunity, go out and hear what they have to say.
   • Some events will allow you the chance to ask them a question directly.
7. Take smear campaigns with a grain of salt.
   • As election day approaches, you will see more and more negative advertising in which candidates attack their opponents.
   • While some criticisms can't be written off entirely, keep in mind these ads are not unbiased.
8. Compare every candidate.
   • Even though the primaries have you vote within a single party, just because you registered as a Democrat doesn't mean you have to vote for the Democratic nominee on election day.
   • Research all of the candidates; you may find common ground in unexpected places.

Resources for How to Choose a Candidate

• The Mahalo Guide to the 2008 Presidential Candidates
• Vote411.org
• Project Vote Smart
• Glassbooth: Quiz to choose best 2008 presidential candidate
• USA Today: Play the 'Candidate match game'
• Speakout.com: VoteMatch Quiz
• eHow.com: How to Choose a Candidate for President

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