How to Choose the Right Presidential Candidate for Your Views

Choosing the right presidential candidate to vote for may be obvious to some, but to others, it is a chore. Here is how to separate the media fluff from the real issues and determine the right choice for you.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Analyze Your Stance on the Issues

1. Watch the news and visit the candidates' websites to learn the key issues in the campaign. Write down each issue on a piece of paper, along with each candidate's stance.

2. Visit at least five independent websites on each major issue. Read them in depth so that you fully understand each side of an issue. Rank each issue in order of importance to you.

3. List the characteristics you think a good president should have, and then rank them in order of importance from 1 to 10.

4. Make two columns to the right of this list, and put each candidate's name on top. Rate how well each candidate exhibits each characteristic on a scale of 1 to 10.

5. Add the two columns to see which candidate had the higher score. Review how well each candidate scores on the issues that matter to you. Choose the candidate that scored the highest in both categories.

Tips & Warnings

• When reviewing issues, don't just adopt the view your political party subscribes to. Read them critically and weigh both sides.