With over a year left before the 2020 Presidential Election, candidates for the primaries are beginning to announce their intentions to run.
The growing list includes former Secretary of Housing Julián Castro, Representative Tulsi Gabbard and Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Bernie Sanders.
Though it seems far off, the time to begin educating yourself on whom you may want to vote for is starting now. Before the heat of election season begins and news feeds are flooded with debate videos and promotional posts about politics, you should begin gathering information and forming your personal opinions.
As a staff, we believe being informed is a choice. It may sound like a daunting task, but it’s more important than ever that college students let their voices be heard. Being an informed voter doesn’t have to require an immense amount of extra work.
There are a multitude of voter guides available to gather information about potential candidates, their policies, the voting process and how to get yourself registered.
Such sources can be found on the website Best Colleges.com, which features a “Student Voting Guide.” It includes a number of voting resources, breakdowns of largely debated issues and a “how to” for voter registration.
Additionally, BallotReady.org’s guides have updated information about current elections and allows for comparison of candidates in local, state and federal races. They also provide information about the referendums on the ballot.
Each state government has its own site voters can use to determine the type of primary their state holds, when the elections will be conducted and how they can vote for their chosen party’s presidential selection. These can differ vastly from state to state so it’s likely classmates may not be following the same laws when participating in this stage on the road to the presidential election.
There is already a plethora of information available about the candidates who have announced their plans, especially those who are current or former members of the House or Senate. Individuals who have already held office will have their previous voting decisions and political stances available on their respective state’s legislature website that can be accessed individually or through Congress.gov.
Being involved in the electoral process is something that can also be part of your college experience at Bradley with Student Senate elections coming up in the spring. Be on the lookout for students to begin announcing their intentions to run. Be sure to attend events such as the candidate debates or weekly general assembly meetings to talk to the candidates themselves.
If a particular candidate is of interest to you then you are already fully equipped to take a more critical look at what they intend to fight for. If none of the above names sound familiar, a simple Google search will change that.
The choice is yours.
