No, silly, I am not going to tell you what candidates I choose and what position I take on ballot measures, but I will tell you my methodology. In elections, as in all else, “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” (Mark Twain). More money is spent convincing you of things that just ain’t so than in almost any other choice you make. If the electorate abided by the principals that jurors use in the justice system – we’d all need to be excused.
Step 1: Avoid learning things that just ain’t so. It's much easier than unlearning them. I abandoned television news several years ago and have never been better informed. Or, at least, less misinformed.
Step 2: Don’t start looking at issues and candidates until your voters guide arrives. It really shouldn’t take more than a few weeks to make an informed decision. Often, I can take a stand from the statements in the voters guide alone (see Step 3!). The massive amount of money spent in campaigns infuriates me. Ignoring it all gives me the satisfaction of wasting the money of the interest groups. It’s my statement that I’d like to see campaign season reduced to a two week period.
Step 3: For each issue, list what what you have heard before you opened the voters guide. In all likelihood, it just ain’t so. 30 second commercials and slogans on yard signs can’t articulate anything in depth. The format requires misinformation.
Step 4: Establish reliable – or at least honest -- sources of information for issues that you need more information on. Check out fact checking sites such as http://politifact.com to appreciate just how difficult this is. I look for endorsements from groups that are thoughtful and honest about their biases; that tell me why they are endorsing an issue. Even if I disagree with them, I’ve got a clearer picture. This is especially important for complex ballot measures.
Grammatical and rhetorical corrections are welcome.
