How to Use iVoterGuide: Candidate Information
We previously wrote to you about our new iVoterGuide website and the many sections of a candidate’s profile page, including campaign finance information as well as scorecards and endorsements.
In addition to the above-mentioned items, our candidate profiles also provide you with another important data point . . . biographical information.
Voters want to know as much as possible about the choices they have for each office, and iVoterGuide gives the candidates who run for public office an opportunity to show voters who they really are. Each candidate is seeking the important job of making decisions on your behalf, so what they tell you (or don’t tell you) about themselves is critical to voting wisely.
When a man assumes a public trust, the should consider himself as public property.
~Thomas Jefferson
The biography section has two parts . . . basic information and background information. We'll discuss each separately.
Basic Information
The top of the candidate profile page gives basic information about the candidate’s current campaign.
You can see:
- Name—The candidate’s name as it appears on the ballot.
- Political Party— Republican? Independent? Libertarian? Socialist? Democrat? Non-partisan? Each party has main tenants. What does it tell you about the candidate that he/she has decided to run under a certain party’s label?
- Election Year—We cover elections every year and have archives of previous elections, so this section lets you know you’re looking at the correct year.
- Election—There are sometimes several elections in a calendar election year, such as a primary and a General Election.
- Race—For what office is the candidate running?
- Incumbency—Does the candidate currently hold the office they are seeking?
- Links—These provide direct access to what the candidates are saying about themselves and their race. The links are presented as website icons.
More About Links and Icons
In the “Links” portion of the biography section of the candidate’s profile, you’ll find thumbnail images or icons for various platforms. These take you directly to the information being distributed by the candidate. Be sure to click on these icons to see for yourself what the candidates are saying.
For those of you unfamiliar with the icons, here’s a “cheat sheet” for the most used icons.
Background Information
In this section of the biography, the candidates complete the information themselves and may include information on what makes them qualified for the job. We ask them for information about:
- Education: Educational history, schools attended, degrees
- Work & Military: Vocational experience and military service
- Affiliations: Organizations which the candidate may be affiliated with (this may include clubs, boards, churches, etc.)
- Offices: Offices which the candidate has previously sought or held.
The below graphic is from a candidate who filled out the information with great detail. (We're so thankful for these candidates!)
Unfortunately, many candidates don't always complete this information. If this section is empty, the candidate either chose to leave it empty or never logged in to our website to complete our candidate questionnaire.
As you determine how to cast your vote, be sure to check out all of these items for yourself. Click on the website icons and see what the candidate has put on their sites or posted on social media. Look up the candidate’s church, if provided, and review their Statement of Faith. Vet the organizations in which they have served to see if they hold to a moral, religious, or political philosophy. You can discern quite a lot about the candidate from this information.
Don't forget . . . to get to this page from the list of all candidates, just click on the link under the candidate's photo that says, "View Candidate Profile." You'll then see the detailed biography!
For an overview of the entire candidate profile page, please see our article, Find Your Personalized Ballot.
Thank you for being an engaged citizen and for voting wisely!
