Habibi: How to be a responsible voter – preparing to vote – Daily Independent

Margot Habibi

Andrew Kaufman

By Margot Habibi | Deputy Director of Communications, George W. Bush Institute

Election season is upon us, and many people from coast to coast are already voting — not just for president, but for Congress, state legislatures, and various ballot measures.

While many are focused on the top of the ballot, some less publicized races are even more critically important to voters’ everyday lives. Consider issues such as school choice, abortion, and taxation, among others.

Frankly, these downvote races are also the ones where voters’ voices are heard the most. That’s because fewer people decide, say, your local city proposal than who will be the next president. Lower-vote races also build the bench for the future, as many candidates in local races may be running for higher office in a few years.

So it’s important to vote with your whole ballot – which means getting informed about all the races. For the less publicized contests, this can turn into a research project. It takes time, but it is critical to our democracy that your voice is counted – especially where it will have the greatest impact.

I start by finding out what’s on my ballot, and then I use reliable sources like newspapers and nonpartisan sites to research races and issues, especially ones I don’t know much about.

You can cut out the first step if your state mails you a ballot. For the rest, look up your registration and download your sample ballot from your state or county board of elections website.

I print out my sample ballot, mark it and bring it to the polls. This may sound old-fashioned, but many places won’t let you consult your phone or digital device while you’re voting, but will let you take a piece of paper.

This year my ballot includes races for President, Senate, Congress, State Legislature, County Clerks, Judges and miscellaneous propositions.

I start with the races I have already decided. Then I research the rest at reputable sites, such as newspapers, nonpartisan groups, and the state bar association. I might also look at the candidates’ own websites to see what they highlight about themselves.

My first stop is always my local paper and the other major metro dailies around the state. Their opinion teams meet and interview candidates for all kinds of races in the run-up to the election and then make endorsements. These include candidates for federal, state, county and local office, judges – and school board elections when applicable. The Editorial Board typically also reviews ballot measures.

I don’t always agree with newspaper endorsements, but the best ones justify the rationale behind their selection. Some newspaper editorial boards will make it clear whether they think applicants are qualified or have specific biases. Others will state that voters have more than one good choice, but debate why they choose one candidate over another. This helps me decide who I can support.

Newspapers also publish voter guides with candidate responses to questionnaires that voters can compare side by side. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Texas and other organizations do. Some partisan groups publish their own questionnaires and/or endorsements. If there’s a specific issue you’re interested in, you can check out how the combined organizations rate applicants.

I also type the names of the candidates into a search engine and look for news about them. Sometimes there will be a story about a debate they had. I once discovered that a candidate I preferred had legal issues that were not apparent. Another time I chose the lesser-known opponent of an extremist-backed candidate.

Some states elect judges, which can be the most important and time-consuming part of the vote. Again, endorsements and news articles are a great place to go, especially if you want to know what the candidate thinks about a particular issue. I also look to the state bar for information about what other lawyers think of the candidate. If the candidate doesn’t have peer support, I’ll dig deeper to find out why. Maybe they’re unqualified, overly biased, or just not very good at running a courtroom.

That brings us to ballot measures—the local items most likely to affect everyday life where you live. Again, reputable news sites are a good place to start. One of the challenges of proposals is the confusing way some are written. Make sure you know if the yes vote is actually for or against something. The news media can help with this, as can lobbying groups on both sides of a measure.

Early voting is underway in a large part of the country. Take the time to prepare and become an informed voter.

Editor’s note: Margot Habibi is the deputy director of communications at the George W. Bush Institute. Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcome [email protected].