Monday marked the last of the series of presidential debates, as well as the countdown till when we the voters march to the polls. The time we have until Nov. 6 is crucial and should be spent not only processing months’ worth of campaign rhetoric, but also determining which candidate best identifies with your hopes and vision for the future of the nation.
Undecided voters, if you’re not going through this process and don’t plan to, then don’t show up to the polls on Election Day.
For many, the decision of who should be president has already been made. For most decided voters, the debates were more entertaining than informative, as they watched their presidential hopeful strike rhetorical blows at his competition.
Surely, Romney’s “binders full of women” comment as well as President Obama’s “check the transcript” retort will go down both in political and Facebook meme history. However, there are many potential voters who have yet to see past the smokescreen of political banter that occurs on stage and are unable to make an informed decision about who should be president.
Many of the undecided voters who were interviewed on CNN after each of the debates did not comment on what was being said by the candidates, but rather how it was said. During the vice-presidential debate, many viewers critiqued Vice President Biden’s demeanor, rather than his rebuttals. Many focused on Romney’s ability to be personable during the presidential debates, but not how they felt about his five-point plan for the country, a fact that truly reveals the problem with the debates.
The debates are meant to be critical events for voters who are unaware of candidates’ history and plans for the country. Yet undecided voters, like decided ones, become spellbound watching a contest of popularity and charm rather than an exchange of political ideas and policies.
As the debates are truly not an effective means of informing voters, it’s easy to sympathize with undecided voters. On the other hand, watching the candidates duke it out on stage is the not the only way for unsure voters to seal their decisions for Election Day. Nor should it be the only means voters use to base their decisions.
Do your research. If you didn’t find the answers to your questions during the presidential and vice presidential debates, don’t settle for making an uninformed decision. Rather than placing your hopes on a particular candidate because your friends or family are doing it, go on each candidate’s website and learn what it is they stand for.
With Election Day drawing closer, now is the time to figure out what you stand for and which candidate stands for those positions with you. Take the time to familiarize yourself with the people contending for the presidency so you can be content on Nov. 6, knowing that you made the decision that was right for you.