EDITORIAL: Please cast an informed ballot

Published 10:34 am Wednesday, October 23, 2024

As of Monday, more than 1.5 million Georgians had already voted in the general election. If you haven’t do so, please go ahead and make a plan to vote in-person on Nov. 5 or by early voting. But before you do, please do your part by researching the candidates, beyond just the presidential race, and think carefully about your choices.

Please cast an informed ballot.

While voting is the great American privilege, it is even more of a responsibility.

Just as we all expect candidates to prepare themselves to run for office, voters must prepare to cast their ballots.

We are right to expect a candidate to have studied and to understand relevant issues, being able to clearly articulate positions on public policy.

We are right to expect candidates to have the experience, knowledge and temperament to lead and legislate.

In today’s world, it can be increasingly difficult to research the candidates when you don’t use reputable sources. Don’t rely on social media to tell you how to vote or which candidate to chose.

When a person makes the decision to run for high office, they open up their lives to that kind of public scrutiny and it is fair for the electorate to have all available information prior to casting a ballot.

A lot of new information always seems to come out just before early voting or Election Day. Expect that to happen in the coming days.

That’s yet another reason for voters to stay constantly informed and not merely make up their minds based on political party or some other reason without fully knowing for whom or what they are actually voting.

Just as we have and should have expectations for candidates, we should also hold ourselves to high expectations and not compromise our own positions, beliefs and values out of blind allegiance to a political party or movement.

Of course, it is fair to ask yourself if a candidate is a member of the party you affiliate with but it is also reasonable to assess whether that same candidate shares your beliefs, positions and values.

Does the record match the rhetoric?

One-issue or even one-party voting can be shortsighted.

Every registered voter should vote.

We encourage you all to make it to the polls during this important election year but please cast a thoughtful, informed ballot.