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I'm not going to tell you to vote. I'm going to tell you HOW to vote.

First of all, I'm not going to tell you to vote, like the rest of the world and the internet does. A huge problem I'm seeing with myself and the rest of the United States is that they look to others on who and what to vote for. I'm here to tell you that you shouldn't get all worked up about it! Also, it should be 100% your decision, not someone else's. I've seen over the years that people really don't know how to vote (as in the action of doing so, not who or what). Allow me to convince you with a little "food for thought", if you haven't voted already.

Now, as promised to myself, I would reserve my blog for a few political posts a year, but overall I try to stay out of it. So when would be a better time than now ...the day before the election? Right? haha! I'm not going to divulge my political party of preference and really, I'm just going to try to stay neutral. 

Sorry East Coast and early bird voters. I meant to get this out sooner, sort of. As it is a sensitive topic it took me more time than I hoped to publish it.

The problem

There are a lot of problems with the way we vote. We vote based on other's opinions. We vote from forced inheritance of our parent's voting history. We vote based on what our religious institutes dictate. We vote for the misconceptions of what our parties represent. This is the problem.

Think for yourself

Think for yourself, think for yourself, THINK FOR YOURSELF! I cannot stress that enough and pretty much should be the main focus of this post. People DO NOT think for themselves. Be smart, be kind, and do not be a blind follower. Think for yourself!

Take other's opinions, don't adopt their vote

It's great to get feedback. It's even better to get feedback from all sides or in most cases "both" sides. It really is. The problem is other people's beliefs and opinions are often biased and in some cases not accurate. Also, these are pushed on to you or people you know as being absolute. It is good to take note but, think for yourself. Those opinions should be theirs and you should allow them to not own your vote! Otherwise, why have private polling places or mail in ballots? 

The parties

What you might think of your party or their party is 100% wrong. I challenge you to look up and most importantly read what yours and their current party is all about. With time there are changes with everything in life. Although your party may be "mostly" the same from what it was 100 years ago, there are a lot of changes that can happen between then and now. So adopting what your parent's believed back in the 70's may be pretty different than what it is now. 

Although a chore, we need to read and understand

It is sad to say but, the United States either has literacy problems (which is why education is so important) or they choose not to read about propositions, laws, or their party. To be honest, who can blame them as the publications are not in plain English. They tend to be in lawyer-jargon, and can be "loaded". We have to try because we are often misled by "he said and she said" situations or what politicians say without even realizing it. He, she, person, or politicians can be totally wrong. The most accurate and the only thing we should base our vote on is what we read in the publication put out by the government.

The Solution!

I'll go through each point above. There is a way to work outside all of these.

Let go of what you knew before.

We grapple, we cling, we practically beg for the past and what it stood for. First step in thinking for yourself is to let go! For example, let go of what you thought pro-choice or pro-life was. Let go of what you thought it meant to be a Republican, Democrat, Green party, etc. LIVE IN THE NOW. Do your research, read, and find out what current facts and policies mean now. Right now! In this year! You may be surprised at how things have changed.

Your vote is all about you! No one and nothing else!

Opinions are great but they shouldn't define you. If an institute, work place, friend, or family member ridicules you, disowns you, or just hates you for what you want to vote for or what you will vote for; they just aren't worth holding on to. If you've followed the first step of thinking for yourself while considering other people's opinion fairly, then real friends, family, and professionals should respect you and your choices. They do not own you or your vote. We are Americans and free!

Don't believe everything your desired political party declares.

Oftentimes your desired party is not published, monitored, or censored. We may think this is a good thing because of ...well ...freedom of speech. In reality, they can say anything they want in public, television, radio, online, or in person. We believe it blindly because we want to and we believe we should trust the party or representative. The party and representatives are people, people could be wrong, people could be malicious in their persuasions, and people make mistakes. We are all human after all.

Getting the facts straight. Skip the conspiracy theories.

We have to read. You can read trustworthy publications but you must be careful. If it is too far fetched, too crazy, too unbelievable, chances are it isn't true. Reading and understanding the party, politician, and propositions will be tough, but reading is the most accurate way of gathering information. Use a dictionary if it helps.

 

There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there. Don't believe them. If they are not published in legal documentation or on a ballot, it is very probable that they are not accurate. Think about it; what does the government, politician, or proposition benefit from the theory against them? Nothing. Why would they do it? There isn't a justifiable reason why. Capitalism would be the strongest reason to defuse these myths.

In the end don't be too disappointed

Ask yourself a few things when all is said and done and the election has concluded. How do these things directly affect me? If so many people believed in the candidate or politician, maybe they're right or maybe it isn't all that bad. Are we going to war as a result? Don't allow yourself to be horribly disappointed, as it isn't worth the stress or risking your health.

Yes, you do have a choice to not vote

People think they have to vote or even vote for every proposition and every candidate. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO VOTE and if you want to vote you do not have to vote for each. It isn't a test and if you aren't sure, it is probably best to leave it blank and not guess.