So I'm going to vote for the first time...

[Lisa-go-Blind]

...and I know absolutely nothing about the candidates. I don't even know what offices I'm voting for.
However, as a conscientious citizen and resident of the great state of Louisiana, I want to research this whole campaign thing. I went to Project Vote Smart, but it was only minorly helpful. I am looking for resources that will tell me 1)what to expect when I hit the polls and 2)the platforms of the candidates. I think I know who I'm voting for governor, but I want to see the other people.

Anyone? Voting is next Saturday morning!

[TeaElle]

Lisa-go-Blind, when you say "what to except when I hit the polls" what exactly do you mean?

Do you want to know the physical location of your voting place? The physical layout? What the ballots will look like? If you have some specific questions, people around your part of Louisiana can help you out.

As for the platforms of the candidates, trying having a look at their own websites. Of course what's there is going to be the rosy picture of promises and overarching statements of accomplishments for incumbents. But it'll give you a starting point.

If you belong to any political organizations, including a specific political party, or agree with the ideals of any organizations, you can check to see if they have a voter's guide which lists the candidates that they have endorsed.

Also, ask people who you trust and who you know are politically savvy. If nothing else, they can provide you with a reasonable explanation of who their choices are and why.

Oh, and hey, congratulations! Voting is a big deal and I applaud you.

[TeaElle]

My fingers got ahead of me -- in that first line, please substitute "expect" for "except" and accept my apologies.

[Lisa-go-Blind]

Well, TeaElle, the problem's that all the candidates for "coroner" or "comissioner of agriculture" don't have websites. Ack! How millions of people can vote every year is beyond me.

[Kiros]

Millions of people don't seem to care nearly as much about being informed citizens as you seem to. Bravo, for that That said, I can unfortunately be of no help to you regarding the Louisiana races, but I wish you the best.

[Kat Lady]

I say if you really want to get confused, just look at the recall ballot here in California. I got my sample ballot in the mail and had to get out a magnifing glass just to try to find who I was thinking of voting for, Sheesh...

[Sternvogel]

Here is the site for the League of Women Voters of Louisiana. You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader (and possibly a magnifying glass) to make use of some of the pages, but you'll at least see some photos and learn a bit about the candidates' backgrounds and accomplishments.

[MaryEFoo]

And it's not a fault, to skip a position where you don't know enough about the candidates.

The people who are really concerned and informed about the best commissioner of agriculture will have their votes count more.

[Lisa-go-Blind]

Ah, thank you very much, Sternvogel. That's exactly the kind of thing I was looking for (although I wish there was a bit more info on their platforms. There were, however, links to their websites, so I'll have to try a couple of those.) Good suggestion as well, MaryEFoo. I'm a city girl, so what do I know or care about commissioner of agriculture?

Feeling...relief...

[ataraxy22]

I find it ironic that a former governor of Louisiana is now in prison (still is, isn't he), and thus likely can't even vote.

[Lisa-go-Blind]

Well, the race was between the future prisoner or the klansman. I love Louisiana politics.

[jackelope]

Originally posted by ataraxy22
I find it ironic that a former governor of Louisiana is now in prison (still is, isn't he), and thus likely can't even vote.

Here in Memphis we've got a woman running for City Council who turns out to have a LONG criminal record, including a felony or two. Turns out she used to be a gang member and has now reformed her ways (she says). We also had a County Commissioner arrested for shoplifting a while back, and a School Board member who tearfully admitted during a press conference that he was addicted to crack. Sigh.

Lisa-Go-Blind, here's the Louisiana State Web site's page on the upcoming election; looks like it's got a bunch of basic information, including contested offices, candidates, etc. Should give you a solid start, anyway:

http://legis.state.la.us/election2003/home.htm

Oh, and you've already registered, right? You can download, print out, and mail in your registration form:

http://www.elections.state.la.us/mai...pInstruc2.html

It must be postmarked 30 days prior to the first election in which you seek to vote based on the residence listed on this application.

Glad you're exercising your franchise! I'm a democracy geek; I vote in primaries for county sheriff, &c.

[Lisa-go-Blind]

Well, the race was between the future prisoner or the klansman. I love Louisiana politics.

[Lisa-go-Blind]

Well, yeah, but the race was between the future prisoner or the klansman. I love Louisiana politics.

[Lisa-go-Blind]

Well, yeah, but the race was between the future prisoner or the klansman. I love Louisiana politics.

[Lisa-go-Blind]

Gah! Shoot me now, folks.

[masonite]

Don't worry about skipping elections you know nothing about. I take it as a point of honor to do just that, and I also refrain from voting for people running unopposed (figuring they'll win without my help, whoever they are).

Don't forget about the party-line voting system! If parties are listed, pick the one you like more at that moment, and vote for it. Doesn't matter who they are, so long as they're Republican (or Democratic, or Socialist, as the case may be.)

[lel]

You could always do cost/benefit analyses of voting for various offices: if the possible effect of the election's outcome outweighs the cost to you to obtain the information, search for the information you would need to make a decision. If not, skip that election. Alternately, judge how much time you should spend trying to find information for each race; if you feel competent to make a decision after spending X number of hours looking for information for a certain candidate. If you feel competent to make a decision after your research, do so; if not, don't.

Also, while websites can be helpful, beware of candidates' tendencies to focus on valence issues and ignore position issues. Sometimes it seems like every candidate is for family and community, but nobody will say how tax money should be spent.