Oklahoma has a host of elections quickly approaching and for the first time in recent memory we have a surge of new candidates and an energized voter base. The past 8 years watching our state fall further and further into the looking glass has caused the citizens of Oklahoma to put aside party lines and apathy. With this surge in interest on both sides of the ticket I am hoping to provide you with some simple steps in deciding who to cast your vote for.
Why would I – a photographer in Tulsa, Oklahoma be an unlikely source of this information? Simply put, I love Oklahoma. I want to see this state and the people in it succeed. I trust most Okie’s but I feel like the system has failed them. I was fortunate in that I was taught from an early age how to research candidates. I am hoping to pass this on to those of you whose Grandmother and Great Aunt did not have the zest for politics mine did. So if you will join me as I begin to help map the way out of this looking glass.
First and foremost I am not going to tell you how I vote. I want you to think critically and make your own choices based on your personal values – not mine. Secondly I truly believe an educated voter base is our only path out of this rabbit hole we have found ourselves sliding further and further into. Here I hope to act as your Cheshire Cat guide; helping you to find your own answers and guiding you to believe in your own thought process.
- Before we begin go and get your sample ballot, now print it (this will serve as a cheat sheet come the day you go to vote).
- Visit Project Smart Vote. (hint you can put in your zip code and it will show you all politicians who have an impact in your area from the top down.. yes this includes the President and Cabinet members). From here you use the dropdown and if they are an established politician look up their ratings, past votes and how they voted, view speeches, and even who they receive funding from.
- Not sure who to vote for? Try the Project Smart Vote Vote Easy tool. This allows you to see the candidates views on a number of topics. This is also a great place to put in your views and see which candidate you align with.
- Visit the League of Women Voters’ Voters Guide. The LWV’s voters guide is one of the oldest and most respected sources of information in the nation. Here you can get a personalized voting dossier (Worth noting: the Guide is only as good as the information that gets put into it. Politicians are free to answer or not answer when the LWV sends them a survey, but a failure to respond is its own statement.) Here you can literally compare candidates own words side by side. This is particularly useful with new politicians.
- Seeing something ambiguous? From here you may need an expert to navigate these murky waters. Head to the local library and ask a librarian for help in clarifying an issue.
- Do your own research. Check the following websites when you hear someone quoting demographics.
- FollowTheMoney.org
- Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Census Bureau
- Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Look up the donors. You can learn quite a bit about a candidate by seeing who is willing to support them.
- Lastly check out your local news sources. If you happen to be in Tulsa I highly recommend the Tulsa World and Frontier.
When voting day arrives don’t forget to take your marked sample ballot with you for a much quicker (and less stressful) voting process.
I hope I have helped you prepare for this upcoming election and encourage you to vote early and often! Remember straight party voting is lazy voting. Do the research and know what you are choosing. Our state is depending on you.
If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.
-Cheshire Cat
Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Note: I have revisited this post on June 21, 2022 and updated all links so that they are all in working order for the primary election in Oklahoma.
