Choosing your candidate 101
Dear Editor: With the upcoming civic elections, there is a question that needs to be asked. That question is “How do I choose a candidate?” I have asked myself this question many times over the past. If you haven’t asked yourself this question, I suggest that you are selling yourself short.
I have my own bias for selecting a candidate. Maybe you have yours. I would like to share mine with you.
Here is my list (it’s not rocket science; see how yours compares.) • Find out about candidates • Gather materials about candidates • Learn about candidates’ stand on issues • Learn about the candidates’ leadership abilities
• Learn how other people view the candidate • Then, sort it all out Candidates may be judged in two ways: the positions they take on issues and the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to office. Both are important. A first step in picking a candidate is to decide the issues that you care about and the qualities you want in a leader.
Put together a “library” of information about the candidates. Collect any information you can find on the candidates. Get information from any source available: press reports (newspapers, radio, and TV), candidates’ speeches and last, but not least, candidate debates.
In a local race, interviews with the candidates can be helpful. For incumbents, a look at their voting records on issues that you have listed as important can tell you the candidates’ positions on those issues. Evaluate candidates’ stand on issues.
I can hear some of you now saying, “That’s a lot of work!”
It really isn’t and it gives you a meaningful picture of “who’s who.”
As you read the material you collect, keep a record. Does the material give you an overall impression of the candidates? What specific conclusions can you draw about the candidates’ stand on issues?
Now that you have accumulated information from campaigns and other sources, you will want to learn what other people think about the candidates. Their opinions can help to clarify your own views, but do not discount your own informed judgments. You may be the most careful observer of all! In summary, do the following, decide: • Which candidate’s view on the issues do you agree with the most? • Who ran the fairest campaign? • Which candidate demonstrated the most knowledge on the issues?
• Which candidate has the leadership qualities you are looking for? Ron Barillaro Penticton