How ‘I Vote My Vote’ Helps You Make Informed Voting Choices

We here at I Vote My Vote have often stated that our main job is to help you, the voter, to be an educated voter. We want to help you to pick the candidates for whom you will vote and support in upcoming elections. I Vote My Vote has the resources to help voters in these days and times when it is difficult in the midst of all the political ‘noise’ and threatening rhetoric to determine what candidates have done, what policies they support and what they actually will do if elected or re-elected. 

Nowadays it is not so easy to determine where political candidates stand on the issues that are important for the future of America. You must understand why it is so difficult to do this. 

First, the news outlets have largely abandoned journalistic integrity and make little attempt to hide their efforts to present the news selectively or they frame it in ways that deceive to advance their political aims. Recently, a New York Times editor insisted that his newspaper should “’cover the full range of issues’ in the presidential campaign, not just those favorable to one side.” Democrat party operative James Carville responded saying, “I don’t think that’s the role of the news media at a time when the entire Constitution is in peril.”¹  For some time now, many of us have noticed that often the national media outlets including social media outlets have actively practiced what Carville is preaching…btw, this has included the New York Times. Consider the Times’ coverage of Trump in their recent article entitled “Do Americans Have a ‘Collective Amnesia’ About Donald Trump?²

A recent study conducted by the Media Research Center found that 89% of the news by major media outlets covering Donald Trump (including CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and MSNBC) was negative.³ In 2014 it was claimed that only 7% (lately this has shrunk to 4%) of journalists claim to be Republicans.⁴ 

The only way to obtain a truly objective understanding of the news is to balance your news consumption by reading, hearing or viewing the news as reported by outlets from across the political spectrum, from outlets conservative as well as liberal. 

Second, political candidates across the political spectrum almost universally say the things that their pollsters have told them to say to gain votes from the members of whatever audience to which they’re speaking. It isn’t always necessarily the truth about their view of the issues. Possibly the most famous example of this concerned the late President George H. W. Bush in his 1988 run for the Presidency. He won the election, defeating Michael Dukakis by offering the promise of the sound economic principles that most Americans looked for in a President so he stated emphatically, “No new taxes.” Of course, the reality of Bush’s practice as President was much different. Within the first year of his presidency, he signed into law legislation that raised taxes.⁵ Candidates may even use photographic or video images to leave the voter with ideas of the candidate that are misleading. In that same 1988 election, candidate Dukakis had himself filmed with his head and torso sticking out of an Abrams tank to offset his congressional record of denying the importance of a strong national defense.⁶ 

There are examples of these sorts of deceptive claims made by political candidates when running for office or in in office, that do not really reflect the truth of the matter or the candidate’s actual views on a particular subject. Some of the most recent examples may include President Biden’s deceptively named “Inflation Reduction Act” that was really plain old Democrat pork barrel politics that was not intended to address inflation. It certainly didn’t reduce inflation and actually helped to increase it.⁷ Or, his recent claim that his executive action is solving the southern border crisis when in actuality it does no such thing.⁸ 

The old adage that asks the question “How do you know when a politician is lying?” The answer “Are his lips moving?” certainly applies today when it is so important to really know where a political candidate stands on important issues. 

1. 1. Panreck, H. (2024). James Carville demands more ‘slanted coverage’ of Trump, slams New York Times. MSN.com. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/editorpicks/james-carville-demands-more-slanted-coverage-of-trump-slams-new-york-times
   2. Medina, J. & Epstein, R. (2024). Do Americans Have a ‘Collective Amnesia’ About Donald Trump? NYTimes.com. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/05/us/politics/trump-presidency-election-voters.html
   3. Bedard, P. (2024). TV coverage of Trump 89% negative — and it’s getting worse. Washingtonexaminer.com. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/washington-secrets/2867244/tv-coverage-of-trump-89-negative-and-its-getting-worse
   4. Cillizza, C. (2014). Just 7 percent of journalists are Republicans. That’s far fewer than even a decade ago. Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/05/06/just-7-percent-of-journalists-are-republicans-thats-far-less-than-even-a-decade-ago

1. Q: Why it is hard to understand where political candidates are standing on issues?  

Ans: It is difficult because many news outlets show bias, framing stories to fit own intentions. They often hesitate to give a balanced view. Also, politicians try to speak what they think people want to hear, not what they truly believe. 

2. Q: From where can I find reliable information about candidates?  

Ans: It’s crucial to take a look at news from different sources across the political spectrum. This will help you balance out any bias and gives you a wider and clearer picture of what’s really going on. 

3. Q: Why do political candidates sometimes seem to change their promises after they’re elected?

Ans: Politicians often tailor their messages to win votes. Once in office, their actions would be completely different from what they promised. This is the reason that it’s crucial to look at their track record and actions, not only their words.