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Informed Voting: Handout

Discover tips for researching political candidates and their policy positions in order to make informed choices during elections.

How to be an informed voter. Read quality news. Informed voting requires you to stay informed about what’s going on in the world and what issues are at stake: Read full news stories, not just headlines. Follow new across a range of websites and platforms. Avoid sources with strong political biases or poor reputations. Distinguish between straight news reporting and editorials. Research the candidates. Informed voting requires you to be aware of not only who is running, but also the positions and policies of candidates: View full speeches and debates, not just highlights. Find candidates’ policy statements online and in news articles. Fact-check claims using Politifact, Factcheck.org, and Snopes. Investigate candidates’ prior voting records on GovTrack.us. Follow the money. Informed voting requires you to understand that money influences election outcomes and policies: Use websites like OpenSecrets.org to better understand the motivations and interests of wealthy donors, including which candidates and organizations they support.

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