Vote Smarter with Help from Your Library

Libraries can prepare you to make informed voting decisions.

Though the fight to make voting more accessible to all Americans is gaining traction, making a truly informed vote continues to become more and more difficult. Your vote can have drastic effects on the political and social impact of the nation, so it’s important to know what you’re voting for to ensure those effects are for the better. Fortunately, libraries are more than willing to provide you with the information you need, so pay them a visit and learn about these three things to cast a smarter vote!

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Learn about the Candidates

First of all, learn about the faces on the ballot. While many sources speak of the candidates either far too favorably or too critically, the library can provide factual information on their careers, ideals, political alignment, and most pressing issues for the coming term. Knowing this information, you can make a fact-based decision on your candidate of choice.

Learn about Current Events and Issues

Though knowing the people you’re voting for is important, your focus when voting is most likely on the hot-button issues that are most important in your area and the nation as a whole. Of course, with the current hype and outrage-based culture of social media, which is becoming more and more of a mainstream news source, finding factually correct, unbiased information on these issues is becoming increasingly challenging.

The library seeks to fight the polarization of facts by providing countless reputable sources of information from all sides of the political aisle, allowing you to form a nuanced understanding of current events, a strong and informed opinion, and respect despite disagreement with political perspectives that differ from your own. Ultimately, a well-read voter base results in people who are more willing to ask important questions and think critically when casting their vote, leading to a healthier political climate and a better America.

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Learn about Party Platforms

Finally, you can learn about the political status of each party on a much larger scale: the party platforms themselves. While you’re likely voting for a certain candidate due to their focus on specific issues, knowing the party you’re voting for is just as important. 

Voting for a candidate of a particular party may give that party a foothold in future elections, so be sure you know not just what you’re voting for now but what you’re voting for in the long term as well. Fortunately, the library can provide you with just about any piece of information you need on the parties, their histories, and the stances they’re adopting moving forward.

Looking to learn more about libraries and how they’re helping to improve the electoral process? Feel free to visit our site at EveryLibrary today!

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries. 

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