I had a former student ask me what criteria I used in my decision as to whom I vote for in a presidential election. It’s a good question and some of my former students actually know the answer to this. When I was an undergraduate at Marshall University, one of my Political Science professors shared with us the criteria he used to evaluate presidential candidates. Simply put he looked at (1) the values held by the candidate, (2) the preparation, qualifications, and skills the candidate has, and (3) the policies proposed or supported by the candidate. As an 18 year old, I voted via mail-in ballot in the 1972 election for George McGovern solely on the issue of Vietnam. Beginning with the 1976 presidential election, I have used the same criteria used by my Political Science professor at Marshall but I have ranked them. Values are most important, qualifications are next, and finally policies. If I believe a candidate does not have similar values or close to the values that I have, I stop there. I simply cannot support that person. If a candidate shares most of my values, I then move to qualifications. If the candidates lacks the qualifications, I stop there. I can’t support the candidate. If the candidate has adequate qualifications, I finally look at proposed policies or past policies supported by the candidate.
When I assess a candidate, values are my most important criteria. Are the values of that candidate similar to or at least close enough to my own values? Close enough that I can support this person without contradicting my own values? Determining the values of someone you really don’t know can prove to be difficult but typically I have found there is enough evidence in that candidate’s background in the media to allow me to decide if I can “live with” the values of that candidate. What values are most important to me? Honesty is crucial, without honesty I simply can’t trust the person. The candidate must show respect for and value all people, in particular, women, minorities, and the disadvantaged. The candidate must see himself/herself as a servant of the people, in particular, helping the working class, the poor, the marginalized, and the weak. Humility and the ability to laugh at oneself are important. Finally, the individual must be bold enough to act on these values. I also note that it is a really good exercise for you to sit down and decide what values are important to you.
Preparation, qualifications, and skills are more than just prior government service, although I firmly believe that without some government experience at either the state or federal level, one is simply not qualified to be president. The candidate should also be someone who is a student of history, has discerning listening skills, can communicate effectively, can show empathy, and has a past history of the ability to unite people rather than divide them. The candidate must show support for the basic democratic principles and norms of our government. I also believe that the candidate should have the skills to both inspire and lead people. Another qualification is a strong sense of self-awareness. To put it another way, the individual should know and be unafraid to share with others his/her strengths and weaknesses. If the candidate, for the most part, meets my criteria for values and qualifications, then I look at policies as the deciding criterion. Policies are simply the solutions that you support that will address or solve what you believe to be the major problems of the country and the world. I finally note that before supporting particular policies, you should do your homework and understand the problems first.
This is not a science and it can be especially difficult to assess the values of a candidate, but this is essentially the criteria that I use. Applying these criteria will require you to do your homework, to become an educated voter before you vote. I also note that you don’t have to adopt my ranking of values, qualifications, and policies. Finally, I encourage you to turn out and vote in all elections. Elections matter.
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