Democratic governments by design are an extension of the will of the people. The people who are elected to office are there to serve their constituents and to act in ways that reflect the voters’ visions for their own futures.
As a citizen of the city, county, state, and country, it is your civic duty to formulate your own vision and to vote for people whom you believe will best represent your constituency. You can discover your own political will and find your voice to take part in the governing process by researching candidates, political organizations like the National Endowment for Democracy, and hot political topics that concern your neighborhood by going online today.
Learning about the Constitutional Rights and Duties
People who are not familiar with basic civic duties and rights might find it intimidating to go out and vote for the first time. They may not know to what rights they are lawfully entitled or what obligations they have citizens toward the city, county, state, or country in which they live.
When you do not have time to enroll in formal instruction like adult continuing education classes, you might prefer instead to watch videos or read online materials about the Constitution and civic law in the U.S. This information can provide a basic overview of your rights and obligations, enough so you can head to the polling place with confidence about your impending vote.
The website offers a number of different videos that go into detail about citizen rights and duties. You can understand better amendments to the Constitution, voting laws, and other issues that come into play each election cycle. The videos are available anytime, and you can watch them from the comfort of your own home.
Getting to Know the Candidates
Each election cycle, dozens of different candidates toss their hats into the proverbial ring as they prepare to run for office. In a matter of days after announcing their candidacies, their names may become jumbled with all of the other people running for election. You may not be able to keep one candidate straight over another.
However, it is imperative that you get to know each person on the ballot so you know for whom to vote. You do not want to waste your opportunity to select someone who could really make a difference in your life and community.
The website showcases interviews with candidates that civic groups, political parties, or the National Endowment for Democracy business committee have done in the past few days and weeks. The interviews may come from mainstream media or be made solely for broadcast on the Internet. Nonetheless, they give you an insight into the thought processes and belief systems of the people who are asking for your vote.
You can hear what they have to say about taxes, immigration, First Amendment rights, and many other hot topics that people are concerned about today. Based on their answers to interview questions, you can decide if these individuals are worth voting for or if you would rather put their opponents in office.
Voters are the backbone of any healthy democracy. You can cast your vote confidence and know that you have done your civic duty by first researching topics and candidates online.