I’ve been talking with voters. This Presidential campaign has me out, knocking on doors.
Here’s how some folks will decide to vote:
1. "I’m going to vote for the person I think is going to win. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do?" How does this registered voter predict the winner? "I can tell by the number of people who are waving my candidate’s signs on election day at busy intersections."
2. "I’m voting for the candidate who is the most like me." (I’ve heard this from people who are voting for both candidates. It’s not just race and gender, but other attributes as well.) My thought: "Really? Would you make a good president? No? Then why would you ever vote for someone like you?"
It seems like many voters will make the decision as if this were American Idol.
And we will continue to get the Presidents we deserve.
Recommended Voting Methods
I acknowledge that we really don’t know these candidates, not really, not deep down. I want my candidate to win — a lot — but I admit that I don’t know my candidate, nor how my candidate would decide on unforeseen challenges. So, I guess I’m a faith-based voter.
But my faith is only so strong. I’m simply hoping for the best.
Still, there are better methods than slowly voting the other candidates off the island.
Try these methods:
1. Ask the smartest person you know: "For whom are you voting? And why?" (Be sure to say "whom," because — after all — this is the smartest person you know.) This works especially well when you have to vote for judges: call a lawyer you know and trust and ask how she or he is voting.
2. Speak to a management recruiter, a professional who is trained to fill senior positions. Ask: "What is the profile for this position? Who best fills that profile?" Aren’t we hiring someone to be the CEO of the world’s largest checkbook? Don’t we have some idea what the criteria for candidates should be?
3. Ask yourself: "Which candidate expresses the political philosophies and promotes the policies that I think are best for the country?" That might lead to the best answer for you. Does it sound hard to do? Sorry. Democracy doesn’t come cheaply.
Or do you really just want to vote for the most popular person who is just like you?