The are several kinds of voter. I’m sure there are others, but these come to mind.
1. The non-voter who says, “I don’t know and I don’t care.” They are too busy making a living and raising a family to worry about politics, besides, all politicians are crooks.
2. The low information voter who only votes in presidential campaigns. They vote for one party because, “my granddaddy voted for (fill in the blank), my daddy voted for …, and I, always, vote …” They make no effort to find out a candidate’s positions.
3. The low information voter who votes in most elections but only for one party because, “All … sleaze bags. ” They don’t bother to learn a candidate’s positions. They just vote for a candidate because they have a certain letter after their name. However, they do vote.
4. The moderate information voter who goes by the ads on TV. If he/she identifies with the party, he/she believes the ads and spouts the talking points, blindly. They ignore any ad that doesn’t fit their mindset. “My mind is made up. Don’t confuse me with the facts.”
5. Then there is the high information, committed voter. He/she votes in every election. They look at the incumbent’s voting record and the challenger’s position papers. They, carefully, vet each candidate and vote for the best candidate.
Most people are a combination of two or three of the types. They may be one type on one race and another type on another race. They may know a lot about presidential candidates but not much about agriculture commissioners. Our republic relies on an educated, moral electorate. Every educated vote is vital to a functioning republic.
In my many years I have come to a
conclusion that one useless man
is a shame, two is a law firm,
and three or more is a congress.
— John Adams
