BLOG: Be more than a voter, be an informed one
In 2012, I cast my first vote in an election. Well, that is not including the time in elementary school when there was a mock election between George W. Bush and John Kerry. I voted for Bush.
Looking back, I don’t really remember why I voted for Bush. Probably because he was already president. Or maybe because he had a “B” in his name as I did. Either way, my vote then was not an informed one. Much like how a lot of our votes tend to be when it comes down to real elections.
I will be the first to admit, I have voted for people without any real idea of who they are beyond a name by a checkbox. As time has gone on, I have conducted more research about who and what is on my ballot. However, it is not always that simple.
Aside from the candidates with the bigger name and campaign funds, it is hard to find out more about who else is in the race. Thus, I wanted to do something about it, even if I was the only one interested.
Over the winter break, I worked on contacting over 200 candidates in the Greater Houston area running for Congress and the Texas Legislature. Regardless of political party affiliation, I wanted each candidate to answer the same five simple questions.
These questions were to help the reader, who may be an undecided voter, to learn more about the people striving to be their voice on the federal and state stages. Over 60 candidates responded with answers in time for publication, while only two directly turned down the interview.
What I wanted most out of this project was to give college students, just like me, a chance to be better informed voters. Speaking as someone who has voted blindly for some elections, there is also a bit of guilt or worry that the wrong choice has been made. Especially, when the people elected by our votes greatly impact our day to day lives.
Your vote is powerful enough to shape not only your local community but the nation as a whole. No pressure!
To view The Signal’s primary guide, click here.