Think about the issues that you care about and the qualities and experience you’d like to see in a leader. We all have different ideas about what is most important to us, and our priorities may change as our lives and the world change. When you vote you’ll want to look for candidates who share your priorities.
How can we be sure that they do?
Start by reviewing the list of candidates who have stepped up for election. VOTE411 can help you see the range of candidates competing for office in your area, and you’ll see answers to questions that the League of Women Voters has posed to them.
Review information about the candidates from other sources as well. You may find brochures and postcards in your mailbox or on your doorstep. You’ll most likely hear and see advertisements on the radio, television, and online. Watch for endorsements by individuals and organizations that you respect.
See which organizations donate to the candidate, and note whether there are lots of small donations from individuals or large ones from Public Action Committees. Do you share the values of the PACs? An easy way to track where a candidate’s most significant election funds come from is to visit the Open Secrets site, that follows contributions to federal and state officials. The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission has data for the current election year on candidates for state and local offices and can illuminate the outside groups spending money to influence the outcome of these races.
Review the prior voting records and actions of candidates who have already served in public positions. Most candidates like to refer to the actions and positions they are proud of on their websites. Do their past actions match up with your own priorities?
The League of Women Voters of Snohomish County arranges candidate forums and most candidates participate. You can view these question-and-answer sessions, with all candidates responding to the same questions, online.
Finally, close to the election date, the Snohomish County Elections Office mails out a Voters’ Guide with candidate statements and endorsements.
If you’d like to review a more complete strategy for evaluating candidates, the League of Women Voters offers a blog post called How to Judge a Candidate that walks you through a seven-step process. It’s a lot to think about, but choosing the right representative to make choices for you on important issues is worth the time.