MVP promotes informed voting, always. It’s very important for the citizens of our community to know who they are voting for and why. Informed voting is the most powerful and basic tool you have to make direct change in your community. Here is our go-to guide on making the right decision this November:
What is important to you?
The first step is deciding what issues in town are most important to you. What do you want to prioritize? Whether it's education, infrastructure, taxation, or budget allocation, it’s important to do your research on what issues are top of mind and how you feel about them. That way, you can be sure that the candidate you are researching aligns with you on the most important issues.
What is up for election?
Each election, there are a number of positions up for re-election. Although we all know the structure of our local government, it’s important to understand the role of each elected official to understand how one candidate may or may not be the right fit.
Who is on the ballot?
The next step is to know exactly who is on the ballot. Who is running for each position? Each year, there are numerous incumbent candidates. It’s important to know who those candidates are and to look back at how they performed in their positions over their term. Knowing who is who is an important step towards your ultimate decision. Visit our website to see who is running for each position, an all-inclusive, easy to read guide to your next elected leaders: https://www.myvotingpower.org/post/greenwich-election-fact-sheet-november-2022
What do they stand for?
There are a few different ways you can look into the policy and positions of each candidate. Most of them have their own websites, detailing their bios, career, history, and the issues that are important to them. A simple google search will bring that up. To dig a little deeper, we like to head over to each candidate’s campaign social media accounts. Facebook and Twitter pages show off their live time thoughts, opinions, and reactions to news as it happens. A lot of candidates also use these profiles as an opportunity to showcase the issues they feel strongly about. You can also get a general understanding of each candidate at the Town Committee websites: DTC- https://www.greenwichdemocrats.org RTC- https://www.greenwichrtc.com
Who are they as leaders?
Something to consider when looking at a candidate is their character, their morals, and their histories. An honest elected official, with morals that align with your own will make good decisions moving forward. We never know what issues our town will face and we must consider how candidates might react to these potential issues before we come across them. This might be the hardest part of connecting with a candidate, but it's the part of the process where we must trust our own judgment and our gut.
Know the who, what, when, where, and why of your ballot on November 8th this year. As cheesy as it may be, knowledge is power. It is our responsibility as a Greenwich citizen to make an informed decision that benefits the community, our families, and ourselves.
Who supports their campaign?
When considering who you want to vote for, remember to look into affiliations like who supports the candidate. Most times, endorsements and other forms of advertisements by companies, businesses, and individuals can tell you a lot about the candidate and which issues they support. You can often find who endorses each candidate on their website. Check out our Who Is On The Ballot? Article to look into each candidate’s websites, platforms, and endorsements.
Beware of issue framing.
One final tip to consider before you head to the polls is to think critically about what candidates are saying in the media, how they are saying it, and how publications are framing their views. This is called Issue Framing. Issue framing is when both supporters and opposers of a candidate can skew the wording of a message to make it appeal to certain audiences. It is becoming increasingly important to do your own research about a candidate's policies and beliefs, rather than believing outside sources that may be untrustworthy. Make sure you gather information from a variety of sources, whether that is trustworthy publications or the candidates themselves.
Comments