“I’m just going to give up,” said a friend, “I can’t figure out who anyone is.”
Voting is in essence predicting the future.
Past, Present, and Future are Inextricably Linked.
Any estimation of the future is at most a guess, and at best an educated guess. In the face of indecision, I often do one of two things: agonize or run away. But there’s a third option: I gather the available data and then rely on the part of me that processes large amounts of information to come to a conclusion–a gut instinct or inner knowing.
Who is this person? To answer this question, I look to the past. What is their history? Who have they shown themselves to be? Have they changed? Are they capable of change? How does the past tell me about who they are in the present and what they will do in the future?
How do I find information that I can trust?
In a climate where the assault of information from candidates is about who the other person is (or is not), I find it difficult to find neutral and balanced information–rather than sensational and emotional content meant to scare me into a position.
With a glut of information at my fingertips, most of it simply trying to get clicks for internet advertisements, evaluating sources is a challenge. Everyone is telling a story; everyone has a point of view; everyone has a bias. I look for a balanced voice that moves beyond their opinions to give me the information that I need to make my own informed voting choice.
I remember the first time that I entered the ballot box–a youngster excited to have my voice heard. I was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer number of items on the ballot. At the time, I thought I was just voting for the president. Who were these other people? What were these other jobs? What were these amendments? My gut instinct had very little information to work with; I had to decide based on names and party-affiliation. However, beyond this confusion, I still remember the pride of getting that sticker for the first time that said, “I voted.”
Today, I prepare by looking up the ballot ahead of time.
Find the information that you need and vote.
For Florida and specifically Collier County, I’ve found a citizen who has compiled research on the candidates and the positions on the ballot.