Q&A of the Day – Vetting Who & What You Want to Vote For
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station’s page in the iHeart app.
Today’s Entry: Since I started listening to you, I find we are similar in thinking, except I do not have the time and patience to do the research. I know I need some help with making choices for August 20, 2024, Local Primary (a list of candidates on the ballot). And Last but not least your thoughts on the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTIONS TO NEW BUSINESS AND EXPANSIONS OF EXISTING BUSINESSES. I Love your show and most times have it on in my car for 3 months while up in Chi Town, these days 1 1/2 hours northwest in Wonder Lake, IL. Where I was born & raised. I am very saddened how things have changed there. My brother and I would be completely gone, but we are struggling to sell the family business we have owned since 1969.
But Florida has always been our 3rd home since I was a baby. Started staying at the Hawaiian Isle Resort in North Miami Beach, then condos in Kendall, Delray Beach, Jupiter and finally now on Singer Island, what a Beautiful Place indeed.
So, thank you for any assistance you can give on these upcoming decisions.
Bottom Line: First of all, thank you for your diligence in listening while in Illinois and while I’m thrilled that you’re now a fulltime Florida resident I’m sorry to hear about the failures of government in Illinois and in Chicago specifically, that have led to the selling of your family business of 55 years. I often receive requests asking how one should vote around election cycles. I get it. A lot of this isn’t easy to sort out, especially in non-partisan races and on ballot measures. I truly appreciate that you respect my perspective enough to suggest how you should vote.
As a standing policy I’ve never thought that was my place. That’s for a couple of reasons. I’ve worked hard over the course of my 27-year career to build credibility and I’m reluctant to put my name and credibility on the line with any candidate. If you’ve ever felt let down by a politician you’d supported – you get it. I put my faith in God, not in candidates. The other is that I don’t feel it's my place to tell you who to vote for. My approach is focused on establishing facts and disseminating them so that hopefully we’re all able to make good decisions in the voting booth. It’s in that context that I offer up this guide, which is how I go about making my own decisions.
Partisan races
What issues are most important to you pertaining to the race for that specific office? Once you define those issues clearly you can specifically seek out answers to those questions and see if one candidate stands out the most to you on those issues. Even if multiple candidates seem to be similar things, I often find that if I prioritize what matters most to me and seek those specific answers starting with the candidate's website, I'm able to notice differences in those issues or at least the priority of those issues with those candidates. If that doesn’t do the trick...
Ask the question. Every candidate’s website has a page to contact the candidate or the campaign. If you still aren’t clear on the specific issues that matter most to you, ask the candidates/campaigns. Feel free to email or call. If they provide information for you to contact them but aren't responsive – that also could be a tell about the candidates and how responsive they’d be to your concerns if elected.
Check the endorsements. If there are specific organizations or individuals that you respect the opinion of – look for them on the endorsement pages of the candidates. You’ll likely spot names and organizations you’re familiar with that could help you if you’re struggling to decide.
Nonpartisan races
Nonpartisan races are often the most difficult for voters to vet and often receive the fewest votes. Many people simply aren’t sure of whom they want to vote for, so they don’t. That’s not a good answer. First, look for the issues once again. Where do they stand? How prominent are the issues they’re raising as key concerns to you? If you find that they’re focusing on issues you care about – you might find your candidate. If you find they’re focusing on issues that you don’t think are highly relevant or disagree with, you might be able to rule them out. The process of elimination is a very much a thing for many conservatives in South Florida. While we’d all love to identify candidates which we want to vote for – sometimes the reality is that you might find yourself in a situation where you’re trying to find the candidate you disagree with the least. I’d much rather have someone who’s left-of-center win a race over a socialist for example.
Endorsements have the potential to be especially helpful in non-partisan races. Again, look for organizations and individuals and see if you can identify any that you view as significant – one way or another. Sometimes it can become clear quickly how potentially partisan many non-partisan candidates happen to be. Hopefully this is helpful.
I know you said you don’t have the time and patience to research the details of the candidates, however you’ll likely find that it doesn’t take nearly as much time as you might think to quickly identify the candidates you identify with the most. You’ll likely figure this all out in under 30 minutes, and you’ll be far more informed about the candidates at the end of this process regardless of who wins – which I also think is valuable. As I’m inclined to say, every election has consequences, however it's those closest to us which often have the biggest impact in our daily lives. As for Palm Beach County Question 1 – I'll break one that one down and issue a recommendation on it next Tuesday (8/6) in advance of early voting which gets underway on the 10th.
Hopefully it's helpful to you.