You see them everywhere. Political ads circling like hawks in your social media feeds, your TV, your radio and dominating your favorite YouTube videos. Whether they attack another candidate or tout achievements, the ads are inescapable all the same.
If the avalanche of attack ads proves overwhelming, there’s several organizations on campus like Join the Groovement that are encouraging you to register to vote. Although the constant reminders of voting may get annoying – it’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s important for the continuation of democracy.
With midterm elections coming up on Nov. 8, time is running out to get reliable information.
Voting is a right and a privilege, and the best way to make your vote count is to be informed. Don’t fall for ad hominem attacks; research candidates and become knowledgeable about their positions on important issues. By having an understanding of who you’re voting for, your vote will be that much more effective.
Now more than ever, it’s important to understand what views the people being put into office have. You can do a quick Google search on each candidate and find a plethora of interviews and information about each person, making it easier than ever to get informed.
However, when doing your own research you should always make sure that you are collecting it from a reliable source. Stay away as much as possible from any biased news sources that lean one way or another on the political scale.
Going off of the last point, you shouldn’t always trust the political ads that are streamed on different platforms. Majority of the time, the videos have been manipulated to fit a certain politician’s narrative to slander their other candidates.
It may seem like a formidable task to conduct research, but it is still important to become an informed voter during the voting process every time.