ELECTION: Do your research

Various groups provide opinions on candidates. Each group issues opinions based on their particular focus be it business, professional, political and others. Each state why a particular candidate is preferred. Our personal opinion should be based on more than one group’s recommendations. It should reflect our own research, reading or knowledge we gain on our own. The issue for each of us to compile all this information in our heads. We must think through it and sort out the biases but also what is true and factual. This is the difficult part. Using our own intellect to evaluate who is best for our community then voting accordingly. Our tendency may be to get a bit lazy. So and so said support this person or I recognize a name, that person receives my vote. Hardly a thought process.

Anticipating some disagreement, I place more faith in traditional print media and a few electronic media candidate’s descriptions. Certainly, media companies have a bias as do journalists who write for them. Traditional media may skew left or right which allows me to adjust my understanding of what I may be reading to more fairly evaluate a candidate. There is a difference between reading with understanding and blindly accepting or totally disregarding an article.  

These tools to help voters must not be a substitute for thinking. Democracy is hard. We all learn from an early age because something is difficult is not a reason to quit. Form our opinions based on what we know and is best for our community not merely in our personal best interest. Let’s all think for ourselves this and every election.

PHIL WARD

Coeur d’Alene