How we decide to vote

I've always been into politics and I don't remember when it all started. I also have always been a "liberal" for as long as I can remember...even before I knew what it meant. I sometimes wonder what determines who we vote for. Is it our family? Our friends? The community in which we grow up? Or do we make our own choices without letting any of that effect us? I mean I definitely know families that are very conservative yet they have that one child that's completely a free spirit and is totally opposit. Or the families that are liberal, but manage to raise a child with conservative views. I remember back during the 96 election, I was helping a friend in college do interviews regarding the election. She would ask each person who they were planning on voting for and their reasons why. One thing definitely sticks out in my mind...many of the people we asked didn't really have a reason and quite a few said because their families were voting for the same candidate. It made me start thinking if I did the same. Did I vote the way I do because of my parents?

For me that was not the reason. For the longest time I didn't know where my dad fell into the political spectrum...was he more of a red state or a blue state? What I do remember is that when I was in 3rd grade, I was one of two people in our whole class who voted for Walter Mondale in the mock elections. The reason? I liked that he had a female Vice Presidential candidate. What did I know a 7? I don't remember ever hearing my parents or other people around me talking about it but that was my decision. Starting with the 88 elections, I became hooked. I'd stay up and watch the debates and the news and the Conventions and I chose a candidate to root for. And again, I was one of the few in our whole school who voted for Dukakis in the mock election. I knew he would lose, but I was still proud of the way I voted because I felt I at least I knew why I was voting for him unlike many of my classmates who were voting the way their parents were voting. By the 92 election, I realized that my parents were Democrats too. I also realized as time passed that the community I grew up in, the people that I was around most frequently all tended to be quite liberal as well. So I always wondered if I was a product of my environment in a subconscious way?

George Stephanopoulos wrote an article for Parade Magazine titled "How to be a Better Voter": http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2008/edition_06-29-2008/2Voter

I like the things that he has to say. That we can't just base our votes based on whether or not we would want to hang out and have a beer with this candidate. There's more to it. We have to think of the future generations and decide who is going to be create a better world for them. I love election years and all the talk about politics everywhere. I hope people out there that are planning on voting this year take the time to really research the different candidates. I hope many do what George says in his article and really think about the issues that are important to them and then find the candidate that best fits. George says in his article that he feels that the American people have rarely gotten it wrong. I don't know that I agree with him on that (but then again, I've only seen 6 elections in my life) but I hope this time America does get it right.