Three Ways to Become an Informed Voter
1. Know the Candidates
For 2022 election information: https://ballotpedia.org/Elections
2. SIFT to Ensure You Have Accurate Information
There is so much information available. It can be incredibly difficult to determine fact from fiction. The SIFT method is a simple tool to help determine the accuracy of information and think critically about what you take in on a daily basis. Good information is the best way to determine where you stand on a variety of issues.
STOP: When you come across new information STOP and consider what you know about the website or information source. What do you know about the source’s reputation? Do not share media or place value on information until you can verify the source and its claim.
INVESTIGATE the source: Make sure you know what you’re looking at before you invest your time and energy. When you INVESTIGATE the expertise of your source and evaluate their agenda it will help you to interpret the information. Taking time to understand where media comes from will help you assess a source’s trustworthiness.
FIND trusted coverage: Sometimes your investigation will focus more on the claim of a piece of media rather than the source itself. You may be wondering if the claim is accurate or not. In this case, the best strategy is to FIND a source that you trust or to scan multiple sources to determine what seems to be the expert consensus. In these cases, better coverage is usually defined as more trusted, more in-depth, or possibly more varied.
TRACE claims, quotes, and media back to the original context: Often, information is shared without context. It is important to TRACE the claim, quote, or media back to the original source to gain as much accuracy and context as possible.
This information is adapted from https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/
3. Attend Events and Panels
Learn more about the candidates and issues by attending events and panels. Visit our Upcoming Events page to learn about events you can attend!