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How to Judge a Candidate
Elections present voters with important choices. Whether
it is a local race that will affect your community or a national race
that could change the direction of the country, it is a time to
consider the issues which you care about and decide which candidate you
support. Even if you are under 18 and not yet eligible to vote,
election campaigns offer an excellent way to learn about the people and
issues that affect your future.
But how do voters go about comparing and then judging the
candidates? All too often, slogans, name recognition and personality
are all that come through in campaign materials. Because television
continues to dominate political campaigns, with the Internet as an
every growing presence, it is difficult to move beyond a
candidate’s image to the substance of a campaign.
However, it is possible to move beyond style to substance. The
seven steps outlined in this brochure are designed to help you judge a
candidate.
Downloadable resources available at the bottom of the
page.
STEP 1: Decide what you are looking for in a
candidate.
Candidates can be judged in two ways: the positions they take on
issues and the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to
the office. Your first step in picking a candidate is to decide the
issues you care about and the qualities you want in a
leader.
When you consider issues, think about community or national
problems that you want people in government to address. Also consider
what party the candidate belongs to and the typical stance the party
takes on the issues. For example, you may be interested in national
security, government funding for student loans or unemployment.
When you consider leadership qualities, think about the
characteristics you want in an effective leader. Do you look for
intelligence, honesty, an ability to communicate? What else?
After considering which issues and qualities are most important to
you in this campaign, record them on the Candidate Report
Card on page 4.
STEP 2: Find out about the candidates.
Pick a campaign(s) to study. It can be any type of race: a
national office (such as president, senator, or representative), a state
race (such as governor), or a local race (such as city council member
or school board member). It will probably be easier to follow a
visible race that is hotly contested or that involves a major office.
First, find out which candidates are running in the race you are
following by using the League’s online election resource
VOTE411.org (www.VOTE411.org).
You can find the number for your local elections office and data on the
candidates. A Voters’ Guide, published by your local League of
Women Voters, is another source of information. Find out all the
eligible candidates that will appear on the ballot. Be sure to include
minor party and/or independent candidates.
STEP 3: Gather materials about the candidates.
Put together information about the candidates. Collect any records
you can find on the candidates. Call campaign headquarters and watch
the press. Sources of information you may choose to review include:
- www.VOTE411.org
- campaign literature
- direct mail letters (mass mailings sent to selected voters
asking for support and funds)
- press reports (newspaper clippings and television and radio
reports)
- radio and television ads (call campaign headquarters and find
out when ads are aired, or ask if you can view them at
headquarters)
- candidates’ speeches
- candidate debates
In a local race, interviews with the candidates can be helpful.
For incumbents, a look at their voting records on issues that you have
listed as important can tell you the candidates’ positions on
those issues.
STEP 4: Evaluate candidates’ stands
on issues.
As you read the materials you collect, keep a journal. Do the
materials give you an overall impression of the candidates? What
specific conclusions can you draw about the candidates’ stands on
issues? Record what you have learned about their stands on your
priority issues from each source. Fill in the Candidate Report
Card as you gather new information about the candidates.
STEP 5: Learn about the candidates’ leadership
abilities.
Deciding if a candidate will be a good leader is difficult. How
can you know if someone will be honest, open or able to act under
pressure if elected to office? Here are some ways to read between the
lines as you evaluate the candidates’ leadership qualities:
- Look at the candidates’ background and their experience.
How prepared are they for the job?
- Observe the candidates’ campaigns. Do they give speeches
to different groups – even those groups that may disagree with
the candidates’ views on issues? Do they accept invitations to
debate? Do the campaigns emphasize media events, where the candidates
can be seen but not heard? (For instance, a candidate is seen cutting
ribbons to open new bridges rather than talking about
transportation.)
- Review the campaign materials. As you read the materials and
watch the campaign develop, add to your journal information that
provides insights into candidates’ personalities and leadership
qualities. For example, do campaign materials emphasis issues or image?
Are they accurate? Add this information to the Candidate Report
Card.
STEP 6: Learn how other people view the
candidate.
Now that you have accumulated information from campaigns and other
sources, you will want to learn what other people think about the
candidates. Their opinions can help clarify your own views, but do not
discount your own informed judgments. You may be the most careful
observer of all!
- Seek the opinions of others in your community who keep track of
political campaigns. Interview three people (not family members), such
as a librarian, store owner, neighbor or politically active volunteer,
to find out which candidate they support and why. Learn what has shaped
their political opinions. Was it an event? An idea or program proposed
by a candidate? A particular issue about which they feel strongly? A
long-standing party loyalty?
- Learn about endorsements. This is a way for interest groups and
organizations to give a “stamp of approval” to a candidate.
Endorsements provide clues to the issues a candidate supports. For
instance, a candidate endorsed by the Sierra Club (an environmental
organization) will be in favor of legislation that protects the
environment. A candidate endorsed by the National Rifle Association
would be opposed to gun control laws. Get a list of endorsements from
each of the candidates’ headquarters. Find out what these groups
stand for and find out why they are endorsing this candidate.
- Look into campaign contributions. Where do the candidates get
the funds to finance their campaigns? Do they use their own money or
raise funds from a few wealthy donors, from many small contributors or
from Political Action Committees? (PACs, as they are known, are groups
formed to raise and distribute money to candidates.) Many types of
information about campaign contributions must be reported to the
government and are watched by the press. Check the newspaper for
stories on campaign finance or go online to www.opensecrets.org. How might
these campaign contributions affect the candidates’ conduct in
office? You might also want to analyze an incumbent’s voting
record on issues important to PACs and other campaign contributors.
- Throughout the campaign, opinion polls will be taken by a
variety of groups to evaluate public support for the different
candidates. Polls reveal who is leading at a certain point in the race.
This information can be crucial for a candidate because it can increase
support and contributions from people who want to be on the winning
team. As you read the polls, ask these questions: Who sponsored the
poll? Was the poll produced by a trusted and independent group? Were
all the figures released, even unfavorable data? What kinds of
questions were asked? Were they slanted or unbiased? How were
respondents selected – randomly or in such a way to include all
segments of the population? How many people were included in the poll
sample?
STEP 7 : Sorting it all
out.
Review the information in your Candidate Report Card
and compare all the candidates. Ask yourself these final
questions:
- Which candidate’s views on the issues do I agree
with the most?
- Who ran the fairest campaign?
- Which candidate demonstrated the most knowledge on the
issues?
- Which candidate has the leadership qualities I am
looking for?
Is the choice clear? If so, pick a candidate.
See through distortion techniques
All candidates are trying to sell themselves to voters.
Sometimes their language is so skillfully crafted that they distort
the truth in ways that are difficult for even the most careful observer
to detect. Here are examples of distortion techniques that you
should watch for as you review candidates’ campaign
materials.
Common distortion techniques:
- Name calling/Appeals to prejudice: These are attacks
on an opponent based on characteristics that will not affect
performance in office. Accusations such as, “My opponent is
arrogant and full of hot air,” do not give any real information
about the candidate. Reference to race, ethnicity or marital
status can be subtly used to instill prejudice.
- Rumor mongering: These include statements such as,
“Everyone says my opponent is a crook, but I have no personal
knowledge of any wrongdoing,” which imply (but do not state)
that the opponent is guilty.
- Guilt by associations: These are statements such as,
“We all know Candidate B is backed by big money
interest,” that attack candidates because of their supporters
rather than because of their stands on the issues.
- Catchwords: These are phrases such as “Law and
Order” or “un-American” designed to trigger a
knee-jerk emotional reaction rather than to inform.
- Passing the blame: These are instances in which a
candidate denies responsibility for an action or blames an opponent
for things over which they had no control.
- Promising the sky: These are unrealistic promises
that no elected official could fulfill.
- Evading real issues: These include instances in which
candidates may avoid answering direct questions, offer only vague
solutions, or talk about the benefits of proposed programs but
never get specific about possible problems or costs.
Evaluate candidates’ use of
television
Television is a visual medium dependent on good pictures and
timely events to tug at your emotions and keep your interest.
Candidates are aware of the potential power of television and try
to use it to their advantage. For instance, in a newscast, the
picture you see of a crowd with banners and balloons cheering for a
candidate may have been staged by a media advisor whose job is to
make the candidate look good on television. As you watch news
coverage of campaigns, be aware of staged events (also known as
photo opportunities) and try to find out what the candidate is
saying about the issues.
The same warning applies to televised political
advertisements. When you watch political ads, you need to be aware
of how the medium influences your reactions. Ask yourself some
questions as you watch. Did you find out anything about issues or
qualifications or was the ad designed only to affect your attitude
or feelings about a candidate? How important were the script,
setting and music?
Candidate Report Card
ISSUES
My priority issues |
My
position |
Candidate
A |
Candidate
B |
Candidate
C |
Example: health care |
I support universal heath
care |
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2. |
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3. |
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4. |
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LEADERSHIP
QUALITIES |
I
want… |
Candidate
A |
Candidate
B |
Candidate
C |
Example: honesty, flexibility
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1. |
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4. |
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My Choice
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Now that you have thought through your choices, DO
SOMETHING!
- Back the candidates you believe in.
- Talk to your friends and family about “your”
candidate.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions at candidate meetings,
debates, or rallies or when a campaign worker rings your
doorbell.
- Call television and radio stations to praise or criticize
campaign spots.
- Be a letter writer. Tell candidates, newspapers and party
leaders how you feel about the issues.
- Volunteer to work on a campaign or make a donation.
- If you’re 18, register to vote. Then, on Election Day, go
to the polls and vote!
Related Files
How to Judge a Candidate (PDF File)
Candidate Report Card (PDF File)
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