How to Quickly Research All of Your Local Choices

Fortunately, there are only a dozen days left until 2020 election day. (Wow, this is so long .) But he will be like no other: due to the combination of the pandemic and an unusually motivated audience, over 35 million people , a staggering number representing over 25% of the total vote. 2016 actors, according to CNN , voted by mail or at early polls across the country. However, tens of millions of us will head to our local polls on November 3, and while we are there, we will not only vote for who we want to be our president or senator, or to represent us in Congress. … We’ll also vote on judging, local government, referendums and other voting initiatives, so even if you think you know how to vote, it’s a good idea to do a little research beforehand – and there are a few tools that can simplify the research process so that you don’t need to. in legal education to conduct a competent vote.

Get a quick overview of your opportunities to attend the Congress

After the presidential election, which you probably already decided on, in the next part of your ballot, you must vote for the candidates for Congress. This means that you will be the voting members of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

One of the simplest tools for determining which candidates match your interests is the Vote Smart quiz . Here you will answer a series of questions about your opinion on topics from abortion to social security. As you answer each question, Vote Smart proposes you the most suitable candidate for both the House of Representatives and the Senate based on your views. By clicking on a candidate’s profile, you can learn more about how they voted (if they are already in office) or how they answered the same questions you answered. While Vote Smart is a bit simple in design, it is the easiest starting point for most of us.

Voting smart is easy, but you might want to do a little more research beyond the quiz.

If you want to know more

• Propublica spokesman : ProPublica tracks votes in Congress, which means you can go through and see how a candidate voted on everything they ever voted for. It’s a great tool, but only useful for re-election candidates.
• Ballotpedia : Ballotpedia is a reliable resource for more information on all of your candidates (and initiatives, for that matter, but more on that below). The candidates’ pages detail the endorsements they received, provide links to their commercials, set out their election history, and provide a few other background details. Ballotpedia doesn’t dig deep, but it’s a solid summary.
• Your Local Newspaper and News Channels: Even if you haven’t had an excuse to buy a local newspaper or watch local news for years, both are useful resources during election season. Local news channels often run debates between state or local candidates, and while they are far from the level of production of presidential debates, they are arguably more useful . Your best bet is to do a Google search for “[your constituency]] debate.”

Finding the right people is only part of the battle. In several states, you will also vote on many different measures, amendments and issues.

Find out about your state’s voting steps

Depending on which state you live in, your newsletter may have special measures in the form of amendments, proposals or initiatives. While these often seem like simple yes or no questions, there is much more going on than meets the eye, so it’s worth investigating before casting your vote.

The best place to have an overview of all your government ballots in one place is Ballotpedia . Just enter your address and zip code and it will display a sample of your ballot paper. You can then click on any initiative to learn more about it. Ballot Ready is a similar web app that refines information a bit, but it is also noteworthy.

Your ballot presents the initiative as a yes or no vote, but it’s important to read between the lines. Ballotpedia usually provides a breakdown of the entire text of a measure, as well as the pros and cons. Remember that when you read about these measures, it is not only about whether you agree with the idea of ​​the measure, but also whether you agree with how the measure will be implemented. For example, measures to legalize marijuana included on the ballot papers in several states this year often fail, not because people disagree with the issue as a whole, but because the initiatives themselves are not well thought out , leaving loopholes or providing fuzzy use. income.

It’s also worth noting that 11 states and two territories, including Washington, Indiana and West Virginia, will also be holding governor elections this year. Many states also race for the posts of secretary of state, attorney general, and other local offices. Again, Ballotpedia will provide you with an overview for many of these, but with few choices, you will have to do your own research because there is usually little information, especially for local candidates and county or regional offices.

If you are unable to decide how you feel, or if you think there is not enough information about a particular voting measure, you do not need to vote on each measure. Feel free to leave any section blank.

If you want to know more

Your local newspaper or TV station probably held debates and understood the pros and cons of almost every ballot and local race in your area. Your mileage will vary here, but it’s still worth seeing. Ballotpedia has a link to the full text under each measure, although in most cases you will need a solid understanding of the law and a couple of cups of coffee to get through it.

Find out about your district’s initiatives and candidates

Ballotpedia is great for statewide campaigning, but doesn’t support your city or county’s initiatives very well. Typically, these measures address local issues such as affordable housing, funding for parks, or transportation infrastructure.

To do this, you need to saddle yourself up and dig in your local newspapers and community blogs. You can also contact your local electoral office for more information. If you don’t know how to get them, Vote Smart has a list with websites and phone numbers . Once you do that, they usually have more information on candidates and initiatives.

Local newspapers usually publish pro / con articles about your local pre-election concerns (if they haven’t already), so you should be able to find a lot of information by doing a quick search on your local newspaper’s website or by searching for smaller sites of interest. run by people in your community. If the initiative is controversial, you will also find articles in newspapers and local blogs. In large cities, large newspapers also usually take sides and list their recommendations, which should at least be considered when making a decision.

Of course, newspapers are an endangered breed, but that doesn’t mean you have no choice. Vote411 often contains detailed information on local elections, and your local country website should have everything you need, even if it is very small .

In addition to initiatives, you can also see the election of board members on your ballot. They usually occupy a variety of local positions, from water departments to school districts. Luckily, Ballotpedia also tends to collect these in their sample ballot papers , so you can at least get a general idea of ​​each candidate. Otherwise, a quick Google search should provide all the information you need.

What to do with all these judges

Finally, there is a good chance that a group of judges is listed on your ballot. This is probably the most confusing part.

In many states, you can vote to remove a judge in so-called holding elections . It occurs in 21 states, including Arizona, California, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. This means that you are voting to remove the judge from office. That’s all. If there is only one judge listed on your ballot, it is most likely a re-election. Generally speaking, the only reason you would bother to vote to remove a judge is because his voting results are so unpopular that they actually made it into the news in one form or another. Several states, including Ohio and Utah , provide a breakdown of each judge’s career over the course of their career. This is a good place to start your exploration. The Bar Association in some counties, including King County in Washington , even provides a rating system based on clearly stated qualifications, so this is worth looking around too.

If you vote between two people, it means that you are voting for who will be the judge. Your best bet is to search Google for the names of both candidates. There is a good chance that a local newspaper, law blog, or law magazine will prepare a comparison between the two detailing their experiences, priorities, endorsements, and education. Do your research and read their records of decisions in cases that may interest you or are of value to you, and consider how their decisions have impacted your community.

If you want to know more

You usually start out in the weeds in court elections, but you can always dig deeper. Ballotpedia has a page that details many of the choices. You can also often find more information at your state’s Bar Association .

With this, you will have a brain full of ideas and opinions. It might sound like a lot of work, but it’s worth spending half an hour or so on it right now so you don’t panic when you get to the first queue at the polling booth.

This story was originally published in 2016 and was updated on October 22, 2020 to include information, links, and screenshots pertaining to the November 2020 elections, and to align content with the current style of Lifehacker.