The 2012 presidential election may only be on the peripheral of many people’s thoughts, but with the start of Republican caucuses citizens need to begin accurately informing themselves of what is happening in the presidential race.
In January 2004 the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania began a study to gather statistics concerning uninformed voters. At the first polling, which occurred after the first caucus in Iowa, 81 percent of those polled responded saying they did not feel informed enough to make a decision. By February the number decreased to 75 percent in the nine states that held caucuses in January, but in the remaining states voters who felt comfortable making an informed decision was around 18 percent.
These numbers represent uninformed voters for a caucus, not the actual presidential race, but they are just as disheartening. The caucus is a time to select who the best candidate will be for whichever party does not currently hold office, and this year in particular is filled with numerous candidates who may or may not be suited for the position.
The issue lies not only with voters remaining uninformed, but how they base their decisions when they do vote. Uninformed voters tend to pick one issue and use that to determine who they support, while ignoring all other aspects of a candidate’s platform. When it comes to voting, it doesn’t matter how strongly a person feels about an issue — be it gay rights, the economy or abortion — it needs to be weighed with everything else the candidate stands for.
However, because of the continuous and predictable cycle voters use to decide their vote, candidates play on voters’ weaknesses to obtain more votes. This is especially prominent in campaign commercials. Candidates use commericals to either tear down an opponent or build themselves up based on a single issue. So those who do not seek more information have only a 30-second clip with which to decide their vote when elections come around.
Doing background research only takes a few minutes but can make a significant difference in who wins the Republican nomination, and the presidency. Voters need to do themselves a favor and put in the effort to be informed. As Robert Kuhn, a public intellectual, said, “Democracy works successfully only when participants are informed and able to make independent judgments.” – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/13/voters_need_to.html#sthash.FXzzEYRO.dpuf
In January 2004 the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania began a study to gather statistics concerning uninformed voters. At the first polling, which occurred after the first caucus in Iowa, 81 percent of those polled responded saying they did not feel informed enough to make a decision. By February the number decreased to 75 percent in the nine states that held caucuses in January, but in the remaining states voters who felt comfortable making an informed decision was around 18 percent.
These numbers represent uninformed voters for a caucus, not the actual presidential race, but they are just as disheartening. The caucus is a time to select who the best candidate will be for whichever party does not currently hold office, and this year in particular is filled with numerous candidates who may or may not be suited for the position.
The issue lies not only with voters remaining uninformed, but how they base their decisions when they do vote. Uninformed voters tend to pick one issue and use that to determine who they support, while ignoring all other aspects of a candidate’s platform. When it comes to voting, it doesn’t matter how strongly a person feels about an issue — be it gay rights, the economy or abortion — it needs to be weighed with everything else the candidate stands for.
However, because of the continuous and predictable cycle voters use to decide their vote, candidates play on voters’ weaknesses to obtain more votes. This is especially prominent in campaign commercials. Candidates use commericals to either tear down an opponent or build themselves up based on a single issue. So those who do not seek more information have only a 30-second clip with which to decide their vote when elections come around.
Doing background research only takes a few minutes but can make a significant difference in who wins the Republican nomination, and the presidency. Voters need to do themselves a favor and put in the effort to be informed. As Robert Kuhn, a public intellectual, said, “Democracy works successfully only when participants are informed and able to make independent judgments.” – See more at: file:///Volumes/argonaut$/stories/sections/opinion/stories/2012/Jan/13/voters_need_to.html#sthash.FXzzEYRO.dpuf