Becoming a

Rational Voter
Blake Bailey
Period 7

Introduction
INSIDE THIS
ISSUE
1

Introduction

Why you should vote

How to vote

Political Parties

Analyzing candidates

The vote is the most

powerful instrument ever
devised by man for
breaking down injustice
and destroying the
terrible walls which
imprison men because
they are different from
other men.
-Lyndon B. Johnson

What is voting? According to the Merriam Webster dictionary,

voting is: the official choice that you make in an election,
meeting, etc., by casting a ballot, raising your hand, speaking
your choice aloud, etc. Why should I vote? How do I vote? Who
should I vote for? These are all questions to be answered in the
articles below. Voting is a wonderful privilege and is vital to our
country, so you should learn how to become a rational voter and
take advantage of it.

Why you should vote

Voting has been a conflict throughout history. Voting is a
privilege that nearly half of the world population does not
have. Lives have been lost for this cause, so you should take
advantage of it. From a political standpoint in the United
States, voting is important because it speaks for the people.
Voting gives Congress a basis to know what the people
want. As history has proven, without voting governments
can become corrupt

How to vote

Check to see if you are eligible

Register for voting

Learn where you can vote in your local city, or if you are
doing an absentee vote you need to apply for that (an
absentee vote is when the state mails you a ballet and you
fill it out and send it back).

Go to your polling location, or fill out your ballet, and vote!

Becoming a Rational Voter

Page 2

Political Parties
You should not make your decision based on political party, but you should
know the differences between the two main political parties. (Table via
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Democrat_vs_Republican)

Do the unexpected.
Take 20 minutes out of
your day, do what
young people all over
the world are dying to
do: vote.
-Rick Mercer

Democrat vs Republican

A vote is like a rifle; its

usefulness depends
upon the character of the
user.
-Theodore Roosevelt

Becoming a Rational Voter

Analyzing Candidates
When analyzing candidates, you should look at what the persons views are
and determine which candidate shares the most views with you. It is import
to consider how strong of a leader the person is, their track record, and any
character traits you personally think are important.

Candidates

Page 3

Page 4

Becoming a Rational
Voter

"Vote Quotes." <i>BrainyQuote</i>. Xplore, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.

"Democrat vs Republican." <i>- Difference and Comparison</i>. N.p., n.d. Web.
20 Nov. 2015.
<i>Merriam-Webster</i>. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.
"Election Year: More Than 44 Percent Of The World's Population Will Have The
Chance To Vote In 2014 [CHART]." <i>International Business Times</i>. N.p., 14
Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2015.