Who should I vote for in the upcoming election?
Watch this space for election and voting updates, and visit the CivicCLP website for current civic and political information. A full calendar of upcoming election dates and deadlines is available at vote.pa.gov.
Answer
How CLP Library Staff Can Help
The librarians and staff at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh are happy to share information and resources with you so you can make an informed decision about how to cast your vote for the upcoming election. Below are some resources that can help you research and evaluate the candidates so you can feel informed and confident when you cast your vote.
Please keep in mind that library staff cannot legally or ethically share their opinions on political values. You can read more about the legal obligations of nonprofit organizations concerning the restriction of political campaign intervention at the IRS website, or the National Council of Nonprofits. To learn more about library ethics, you can read the American Library Association Code of Ethics (specifically section VI) and the Library Bill of Rights.
Evaluating the Candidates
Ultimately, who you vote for is your choice! This post supported by the League of Women Voters provides seven steps designed to help you evaluate a political candidate:
- Decide what you are looking for in a candidate
- Learn about the candidates on your ballot
- Gather materials about the candidates
- Evaluate the candidates' stands on issues
- Learn about the candidates' leadership abilities
- Learn how other people view the candidate
- Use the Candidate Report Card to evaluate your options (available at the bottom of the article)
You can find out more about each step in the article linked above.
Gathering Information
During an election season, it can feel like there is a lot of information circulating that may be biased, skewed, or emotionally charged. Here are some non-partisan resources for gathering information and facts about political parties, candidates, ballots and more.
Remember, the websites listed here are for informational purposes only. To register, check your registration, and learn how to officially cast your vote, visit Votes PA.
The League of Women Voters: Voters Guide
This Voters Guide provides a short description of each office and its duties, followed by information about the candidates for each position. You can also view the League of Women's Voters website for a list of voter resources and other voting information.
Vote411 | https://www.vote411.org/
Vote 411, a website by the League of Women Voters, offers personalized voting information by entering your address. Your personalized voter guide will provide a job description for each position that will be on your ballot, with links to more information about each candidate. You can also use this site to build a voting plan that you can print and take with you to the polls, or use as a guide to fill out your paper ballot.
Ballotpedia | https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page
Ballotpedia also allows you to enter your address to see what will be on your ballot before going in to vote. The sample ballot will have links to more information about federal and and ballot measures. Ballotpedia also offers lots of information about how to vote, the structure of the U.S. government, and about politics and policy.
BallotReady | https://www.ballotready.org/
Like Ballotpedia and Vote 411, Ballotready offers personalized voting information. Clicking on a candidate provides information on their experience and education, along with a compilation of information about that candidate's stance on certain issues.
AllSides | https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news
AllSides is a unique tool that sorts news sources and articles from the political Left, Right, and Center. The site discusses their rating system for media bias, and examines over 800 media outlets. You can browse the news categories on their main page, or use their Balanced Search feature to explore how news outlets report on a specific topic.