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Culture > News

A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing a Presidential Candidate

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter.

The clock is winding down and it’s about time to start seriously thinking about who you support to be our president in 2020. With so many candidates and so many pressing issues at hand, it can be very hard trying to find who you think is the best fit for the position. Practicing your right to vote is a paramount part of being a citizen of the United States; plus, it could make the difference you would like to see in our nation, so it takes a lot of consideration. Read below for some tips that can help you narrow down what and who you would like to see in office in 2020!

Make a List of What’s Important to You

You can’t know what to look for in a candidate if you don’t determine what exactly you are looking for when it comes to governmental change. To handle this, make a list of everything you are passionate about and of any of today’s pressing issues that you need a candidate to address. Once you determine your stance on these topics it will be easier to align yourself with a candidate who shares similar beliefs and holds certain topics to the same level of importance as you. 

Do Your Research

Be sure to thoroughly research candidates so you can not only form an idea of their character, but so you can also be aware of what they stand for. A simple Google search can provide you with the answers of where candidates stand on certain issues. However, while the internet is great, make sure that you are getting your information from a reliable source — I cannot stress this enough. The internet has been, and continues to be, flooded with misleading information and stories. Sometimes the media can purposefully persuade your view on people, so it is very important that you just look at the facts. For this type of research I suggest using a website like politifact.com or any other unbiased and factual source. 

Follow Candidates on Social Media

Social media is a great way to become more familiar with any potential political leaders! Social platforms provide both a way to understand what a candidate believes in, and who they are beyond the big screen or debate stage. I think it can be generally agreed that liking who the candidate is on a more personal level is an important aspect of your reason for support.

Watch Debates

Probably the best way to understand who a candidate is, as a person and a political leader, is by watching them in debates. This provides you with an opportunity to see how they face competition and adversity, how they carry themselves in front of the country, and hear their stance on issues first-hand. Although some may describe debates as dense and boring, being attentive to a presidential debate is vital when it comes to voting in an educated manner.

Picking your presidential candidate is a tough choice and truly a hefty commitment, but it is one of the most important decisions a young adult has the opportunity to make. Choose the person you believe will bring the most good into this world — we need as much as we can get!

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Emma is an English major at Boston University. She hopes to have a novel published and write for a sketch comedy show one day. In her free time she reads, writes, and paints. She loves to make people laugh and fully believes in aliens.
Writers of the Boston University chapter of Her Campus.