Voting in a Glassbooth: Clarifying which Presidential Candidate is best for You

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Trying to gather information on candidates’ positions can be tricky. Not too long ago Eric posted a link to an interesting list of questions that helped narrow down which candidates agree with you in which areas. I found it helpful and it confirmed what I had already suspected about my voting position. However, here is another one which I think is even more comprehensive.

The Glassbooth ‘Quiz’ begins with twenty points which you assign to 14 issues based on their importance to you. These issues range from Iraq and Foreign Policy to Medical Marijuana and Drug policy. If you are a one issue person (i.e. abortion or gay rights), you can put all twenty points on that issue. Or you can distribute the points more equitably. After that, you take a quiz asking you to rank your positions related to the issues i.e. “I strongly support or oppose a tax on the wealthiest Americans” (the quiz even links Wikipedia’s explanation of distribution of wealth to help you understand the question better.) Finally, the quiz shows you how your positions match with those of the candidates. Most importantly, it not only tells you whether you match up or not but it gives actual quotes (and in some cases video footage) showing the candidates’ positions.

Furthermore, there are summaries of each candidate’s position on the issues that matter to you. This is not a cure all. You still have to do some work but, as a starting point for making a choice, I’ve never seen a better tool. Depending on how much you already know about your positions on issues and how much you are interested in the slight differences between the candidates this quiz can take anywhere from approximately 5 to 50 minutes. And, it is worth every minute spent.

Tip of the hat to Dad in the Headlights for pointing the way to this excellent tool.

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11 Comments
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Ernie
Guest
16 years ago

Kym, the following is a listing of every candidate on every issue.

http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

Chris
Guest
16 years ago

Thanks, Kym. Like you said, it pretty much confirmed what I already knew, but it was an interesting exercise. Good links to additional information.

Chris
Guest
16 years ago

Thanks, Kym. Like you said, it pretty much confirmed what I already knew, but it was an interesting exercise. Good links to additional information.

Bob
Guest
Bob
16 years ago

Interesting. Guess I should figger out this Mike Gravel guy, huh?

Bob
Guest
Bob
16 years ago

Interesting. Guess I should figger out this Mike Gravel guy, huh?

Staff
Member
16 years ago

Bob, I already knew I liked Gavel (the quiz merely confirmed that and my second choice) but This election is too important for me to chance taking a vote away from the contender against the Republican nominee.

Chris, I liked the quotes from the candidates and the extra links.

Ernie, Yours has the advantage of being about more than just the presidential election. I like that. I actually showed up with Clinton ahead of Obama in this one. Tomorrow when I have a little more time, I’ll try and figure out why.

Ernie
Guest
16 years ago

I guess I’m the kind of person that makes up his own mind based on what I know. Surveys can be very misleading. They ask questions like “Do you like apple pie” and if you say yes, that means you like Clinton because she planted an apple tree.

I would rather that you trust what your heart tells you that you should do, rather than follow the results of a survey.

It’s like you know and trust someone, but vote for someone else because they more fit your philosophy. I would go with trust every time.

Ernie
Guest
16 years ago

I guess I’m the kind of person that makes up his own mind based on what I know. Surveys can be very misleading. They ask questions like “Do you like apple pie” and if you say yes, that means you like Clinton because she planted an apple tree.

I would rather that you trust what your heart tells you that you should do, rather than follow the results of a survey.

It’s like you know and trust someone, but vote for someone else because they more fit your philosophy. I would go with trust every time.

Staff
Member
16 years ago

For me the online ‘quizzes’, if they are good, allow me to clearly focus on some issues. Sometimes, probably because of my disgraphia, bunches of ideas at once slam me and I can’t seem to think. This way each issue is dealt with one at a time. But they are only tools to help you focus, not the end itself.

In the end, it does come down to instinct a bit. But still it is good to explore the issues and where the candidates stand. Good quizzes also expose 3rd party or lesser known candidates. (It’s just that this year I am not willing to take a chance on anything even remotely resembling Bush!)

And, Ernie, people who think with their heart are usually nice people.