This combination of photos shows Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris during an ABC News presidential debate Sept. 10 in Philadelphia. (Alex Brandon/AP File Photo)

Voters can quickly identify which political party each candidate belongs to, whether they are Republican or Democrat. But which issues are important to them and what type of candidate are they?

“Partisanship is probably the main issue,” said Dr. Kenneth Wink, a UT Tyler political science professor. “The question becomes, what about issues and what about candidate characteristics? I think that’s where you have to do your research.”

Ahead of the upcoming Nov. 5 election, Wink discussed how he conducts research, compares candidates, determines credible information and emphasizes the importance of past political experience and voting records.

Factors to Consider

Wink said it is often more important to consider a candidate’s voting record more than their statements. Consider their actions, including their voting record in Congress and their positions as governor, president or vice president.

“Not just what they’ve said, what they’ve actually done,” Wink said. “One of the best sources of information, and again, you sort of have to go online and find it, but I’m a firm believer that past votes that you have taken will tell us what you’re going to do in the future.”

Legislative scorecards, available online, provide a summary of a candidate’s voting record on key issues. These scorecards, often compiled by interest groups, focus on a select number of important votes where significant differences exist.

These tools can be helpful in assessing their positions on critical issues and understanding how closely they align with specific policy interests.

Americans for Democratic Action, an independent liberal lobbying organization, evaluates candidates on issues important to liberals. The American Civil Liberties Union focuses on civil liberties, offering assessments based on candidates’ stances on constitutional rights.

Meanwhile, the American Conservative Union Foundation reviews candidates on a range of issues important to conservatives. On the social policy front, the Family Research Council reviews candidates from a conservative perspective, advocating for pro-family policies.

The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations produces scorecards reflecting pro-union or anti-union voting. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce evaluates candidates based on economic conservatism, focusing on pro-business policies. Similarly, the Club for Growth emphasizes free-market economic principles.

Various industry-specific organizations, such as environmental groups, provide scorecards and ratings based on key votes. Voters can find a wealth of information to help them evaluate candidates based on specific industries or issues of interest.

Did you know?

Did you know?

Legislative Scorecards Overview

Legislative scorecards summarize a candidate’s voting record on key issues:

Americans for Democratic Action: Focuses on liberal issues.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU): Assesses candidates on civil liberties.

AFL-CIO: Rates based on pro-union or anti-union votes.

American Conservative Union Foundation: Covers conservative issues.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Evaluates economic conservatism and pro-business policies.

Club for Growth: Highlights free-market principles.

Family Research Council: Reviews conservative social policies.

Industry-specific organizations also provide relevant scorecards to help voters assess candidates on various issues.

When evaluating candidate characteristics, it’s about what matters most to the individual voter. Everyone prioritizes different qualities, whether experience, leadership style or specific policy positions. These personal preferences guide how voters assess candidates.

Key questions include the candidate’s experience in elective office and whether they have done anything outside of politics, such as running a business. Details like marital status, number of children and pre-political career history could be significant to some voters. Educational qualifications are also readily available.

In the past, it was important for a potential presidential candidate to have held significant positions, such as serving as a U.S. senator or governor. Military experience was also a common trait among most candidates.

“People have to make a decision about what characteristics they care about,” Wink said.

This information is relatively easy to obtain. There is vast access to this information in the digital age, although sorting through it can sometimes be overwhelming, Wink said.

Discerning Credible Information

“I can remember when you could never find enough information. Now you have quite a lot of information at your fingertips,” Wink said. “Being in the computer age, you have almost access to too much information and it becomes about trying to weed it out.”

It can be tough for voters to discern what’s credible information and what’s misinformation, Wink said. It’s crucial to verify sources, seek out multiple reputable perspectives and watch out for sensational or unsupported claims.

“Get access to as much information as you can from a wide variety of viewpoints, from the liberal viewpoint, the conservative viewpoint and the seemingly non-biased,” Wink said.

Wink prefers access to a wide variety of unrestricted information, arguing that voters should decide for themselves. He cites the COVID-19 era as an example where initially banned information later proved true, raising concerns about government and media control.

He acknowledges he doesn’t always get unbiased information but tries to gather it from various sources. He then evaluates the sources to determine their potential biases.

“If you get information from the liberal and conservative side, you can understand they have a viewpoint and they’re pushing a narrative,” Wink said. “It’s up to you to look at the narrative and then the counter narrative and to decide what you think is the best source of information for you in making an informed decision.”

Biases inevitably affect someone’s perception of a political candidate, Wink said. Long ago, he recognized that everyone has biases, whether or not they admit it. Studying political science academically and his personal life experience has reinforced this understanding.

He aims to understand differing viewpoints, exploring why Democrats and Republicans view their candidates as they do, while acknowledging both candidates have flaws.

“Can we look past our biases?” Wink asks. “Can we try to see some of the things about the candidate that we think we’re going to vote against, that in fact, might be positive? Can we look at our candidate that we’re likely to support and see some of the things that are negative?”

Wink doesn’t use social media, but he understands its growing importance in shaping elections.

“Social media, I think, is a little bit more subject to bias,” Wink said.

Social media can be deceptive because it’s often unclear who is behind the content — whether it’s a credible source, someone operating anonymously or an entity from a political party or even another country. There is a lack of understanding about the sources of the information, raising concerns about ensuring that people receive accurate and reliable content.

More Information

More Information

Evaluating Information Sources

Social Media Risks: Social media can be deceptive due to unclear content origins, such as anonymous sources or entities from political parties or other countries. It’s crucial to verify the credibility of sources to ensure accurate and reliable content.

TikTok Concerns: TikTok is avoided for news due to concerns about its reliability. There are many other sources available online.

Information Review Tips: Take information with a grain of salt, verify sources, consult multiple sites, and consider a variety of viewpoints.

Cable News: Wink advises to regularly watch five different channels, such as MSNBC, CNN, Fox, Newsmax, and NewsNation, to gain a wide range of perspectives.

Recommended Resource: Wink says RealClearPolitics.com offers comprehensive polling data and editorial content, providing various viewpoints on issues to help users make informed decisions.

{p style=”text-align: right;”}Source: Dr. Kenneth Wink, UT Tyler

Some people get their news from TikTok, Wink said. “That’s very dangerous, to be quite frank. There are many other places you can go with the click of a mouse,” he added.

People will act as they choose, but he advises taking information with a grain of salt. He recommends checking the source of information, consulting multiple sites and considering a wide variety of sources.

He spends a lot of time watching cable news, making it a point to view five different channels daily, including MSNBC, CNN, Fox, Newsmax and NewsNation. This approach helps him get a wide variety of viewpoints.

Another resource he recommends is RealClearPolitics.com, which offers both polling data and editorial content and is non-partisan, according to its website. The site provides various viewpoints on issues, allowing users to review different perspectives and determine which aligns best with their own views.

Comparing Candidates

There are many sources to explore. Candidate websites, while biased, offer insights into what candidates prioritize and their key policy positions. Party platforms, available for download from both the Republican and Democratic parties, provide detailed policy information on major issues.

People can download the Republican Party and the Democratic Party platforms.

The League of Women Voters provide valuable resources at the local and state levels by surveying candidates for various offices, including local and congressional positions. Op-eds provide opinions on the merits of various positions and policies.

With so many sources available, the key is for individuals to sift through them and focus on what matters most to them.

“There’s 1,000 issues out there, but what are the five, seven or 10 most important issues to me?” Wink said. “That’s what I pay attention to.”

Wink’s advice for voters is to use their time wisely. While watching too much news can affect mental health, staying informed is crucial for understanding political dynamics and voter behavior.

Aim to spend a few minutes daily accessing a variety of sources: catch 15 to 20 minutes of morning and evening news from different networks, visit reliable sites regularly and read editorials from diverse viewpoints, he suggests.

“To me, that’s the best you can do,” Wink said. “When you tell me you have a bias and then we can talk about issues and go back and forth and maybe come to some mutual understanding. Maybe I can’t convince you, and maybe you can’t convince me, but we can have a civil conversation. To me that’s about the best you’re going to get in 2024 in the United States.”