OPINION | Vote based on your research, not just because someone else told you to

November is approaching, and I can barely scroll through Instagram or watch videos on YouTube without seeing campaign ads. Presidential candidates are searching for votes, and landmark laws and state amendments are up on this year’s ballot. 

I know many people who vote solely based on these ads, or just because a trusted friend or popular figure told them to. Uneducated voting is one of the most dangerous things we can do as voters and as citizens of this country.  

When we vote, we are casting our voice behind something bigger than ourselves. We decide what laws will be codified and what people will be in office. These decisions always have much larger implications than just a single issue.  

The justification I’ve heard over and over again for throwing away your vote is that it doesn’t matter which way you vote because your voice is lost anyway, and politics don’t really impact you. 

This could not be further from the truth. Historically, not everyone has had the right to vote because white, landowning men — the only ones allowed to vote for nearly the first century of our country’s existence — didn’t want people of other ethnic groups and genders voting for things that undermined their positions. 

Until the 15th amendment in 1870, Black men could not vote. Yet even after the amendment was passed, according to an article by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, “… many states, particularly in the South, used a range of barriers, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, to deliberately reduce voting among African American men.”  

Women of all ethnicities could not vote nationally until the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920. According to a page on the National Park Service website, this amendment came after several states independently granted women the right to vote, including Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and California.  

If voter’s voices don’t matter, then why did the people in power try to keep others from voting for so long? 

Your vote does matter. And when it comes to research, following voter guides can be helpful, but make sure that they provide you with a comprehensive, thorough and relatively unbiased view of both sides of the issue.  

Beware of some guides targeted at specific demographic groups. These can be skewed, keying on important topics within the community and repetitively pushing a biased political agenda.  

The Colorado Blue Information Booklet provides a detailed, thorough and impartial explanation of the ballot’s different issues. These booklets are distributed by mail and can be found on the website here

When I was in middle school, the dad of one of my friends told me that I needed to decide for myself what political party I would subscribe to, and no one else could make that decision for me. It’s a piece of advice I’ve held onto. We deserve the freedom to decide independently of the people around us.  

This November, conduct thorough research over the issues on the ballot. Think critically about the candidates who are running for the highest office in the land and what they stand for. Each of the issues on the ballot will impact you, your loved ones and others in this country.  

What is best for America? It’s up to you.  

Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock.