Voting Consciously

With every election, local or national, we have the opportunity, responsibility really, to select our government officials. Today more than ever before, it is extremely difficult to sort through the "made for TV" campaign rhetoric to determine who will receive our vote and for what reasons.  Is the task so overwhelming, so daunting that we fail to even try? This author would like to suggest it is easier than we are willing to admit in this electronic age. Take a moment to see if you are willing to cast a vote that truly matters to you, and to the world around you.

First, ask yourself if your reasons for your voting choices of late have been based on a conscious investigation of the facts, ie. (checking the voting records, attendance records, legislative committee work, community involvement track records, etc.) or have they been based upon what you have heard on TV, read in the newspaper, or learned from a mailer to your home?

We live in a time when every vote matters; every decision by a representative has a profound effect, not just locally or nationally, but globally.  Decisions that are made at the most local levels of government, in some cases, affect the lives of individuals for decades to come.

Whether the decision involves the environment, war, health care, or education, the results of the outcome have consequences for the universe overall.  We can no longer consider only the local effect of our decisions or lack there of. Whether you consider yourself a democrat, a republican, an independent, a green party, or other, the responsibility for conscious (educated and informed) choice remains your own.

Find the Candidates that Support Your Cause

Before researching the candidates, we must first research ourselves. We must review the critical issues and determine exactly where we stand on each. Ask yourself, what really matters to me, my family, my community, my country, and my world with regard to the environment, international relations, health care, education, and fiscal responsibility?

Take a look at the current issues, decide where you stand on each, and write it down.  Now you have the basis from which to conduct your investigation and research to determine which of the candidates support your cause.  Rather than deciding which of their causes you wish to support, look for those who articulate what you intend to accomplish with your vote.

Measuring how effective a prospective representative might be in office is based on how effective they were previously. What has been their voting record on the same or similar issues? What have they proposed during the campaign and completed while in office? Have they demonstrated leadership or followed along behind others? You can determine answers to these and other questions by visiting http://www.gov.com/, by calling their office and asking their legislative assistants to answer your questions, or by visiting http://www.onlinesunshine.com/, or http://www.thomas.loc.gov/.

Can you see how voting the "party line" might be an "unconscious" vote, if you have not researched each candidate, their voting records, attendance, and documented stand on those issues that matter to you most?

Making Important Life Decisions

I think we would all agree that those persons running our local, and federal government determine greatly how we live our lives. Knowing our lives matter to us, then we can assume electing government officials is a very important decision.

Let's look at how we make other "important decisions" in our lives.

1. When choosing the university or college that your son or daughter may attend, do you research the schools to determine if the criteria established for success are being met?  (ie. Cost of education, majors offered, distance from home, etc.)
2. When purchasing a home, do you not have the home inspected by specialists trained to determine the "truth" about the house?
3. When recruiting new employees, is there not a thorough background check, resume of past employment researched, testimonies of accomplishments secured, and personal interview conducted?

We normally make important decisions by first determining what it is we are looking for (ie. What really matters about this). Once we are clear about what matters and what aspects must be present, we begin our search to find the best match we can find. We sometimes have to compromise, but do so knowing what we compromised and for what reasons.  It is the intelligent, responsible, conscious thing to do to assure our success. 

Why not try it on our political process?  Now that's consciously courageous politics!!