It’s important to educate yourself about the views and background of the candidates you are voting for.
Consider Voting History! The best way to know what a person will do in the future . . . is to look at what they did in the past! Research the way your candidate voted on important issues.
- If your candidate previously held an office, organizations like Vote Smart and Ballotpedia may have recorded their votes and key actions taken while in office. Conservative and liberal organizations may also rate an officeholder’s votes based on whether they align with the organization’s values.
- Knowing which party’s primary your candidate voted in can provide general insight into their policy views. These records may be public information. Accessing this information varies from state to state and from county to county. It may be as simple as downloading a registered voter file from the website of your county’s Voter Registrar or elections office, but submitting an Open Records or Public Information Request may be required. Be sure to review your state’s laws pertaining to use of registered voter data.
Check Endorsements! A candidate’s website and social media may announce that they have been endorsed by certain people or organizations. When you come across endorsements:
- Look up the endorsing group to discover their mission statement and beliefs. To get a true picture of their values, you may need to search beyond a polished mission statement and visit other parts of their website and social media pages.
- If an elected official has endorsed a candidate, discern their beliefs as well. You can search our website to see if we have ever researched and evaluated their political ideology. If they have been endorsed by local public figures such as city council members or pastors, consider contacting them to ask their reasons for endorsing this candidate.
Online voter guides can be a helpful tool for research. In the 2024 elections, iVoterGuide is providing candidate information for federal races in all 50 states; federal and statewide races (including statewide judicial) in 37 states; and state legislative races in 32 states.