Now's your chance! This is long, but it's worth it...

On Tuesday, July 20, we have the chance to vote in the primaries for our area. I’ve always felt that the primaries are more important than many might think: it’s in the primary voting that we narrow down who will be in the main election. This is your big chance to really have a say in who makes it to the real deal… and weed out those you don’t want!

I feel so blessed to belong to a church that does not dictate political stances but rather encourages us to individually research and choose candidates of integrity that stand for what we personally value and believe in. As I was researching for this post, I was inspired by the statements in the LDS Newsroom and in D&C Section 134. Check them out!

So how do we research and choose? Here are some ideas and steps for making your vote count (click on the words in white to go to a website with the information mentioned):

1) Check the status of your registration and poll location by visiting the Secretary of State’s "MVP" voter info website. You can also see a complete ballot for our area! Wow!

2) Review the candidates and positions open for voting. If you don’t know what a certain job entails, learn more about Georgia government.

3) Study the issues, the candidates, and their opinions. This is where it gets a little tricky because so much information can be biased or incomplete. Here are a few sites that may help provide a more complete picture:

• Side-by-side comparison of issues and candidates’ positions, also descriptions of the position responsibilities (uses the responses of candidates):
• Non-partisan reviews of candidates’ comments looking for truthfulness and accuracy
• Searchable database of Congressional voting records
• Information on national and state candidates’ records
• Current issues and who supports and opposes them

Of course, following the local papers and ongoing news reports of local representatives is a great way to see trends and challenges, but since we only have till Tuesday, this should help you for now!

4) If you just want to learn more, study other general information at the following sites:

• Voting FAQs
• List of Non-partisan voter information websites (so you can sort through on your own!), sponsored by GeorgiaInfo/Galileo website
• Georgia’s Elections Division (from Secretary of State), including overall information and links to other helpful sites

5) Make your choices! It's great to write them down in advance so you don't have to remember and can get through the voting process faster at the polling location. (NOTE: In the primaries you DO have to choose one party or another because you are voting for your choice of candidate within that party that will go on to the main election. You do NOT have to vote party line in the main elections.)

I love the electoral process and am so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy and the fact that our votes really do count. Don't let yours go to waste!

Finally, PLEASE note that I am NOT advocating any one party, information site, or stance. I have tried to provide places for you to find the information you want and make your own decisions.

Happy voting!

Thanks to Carolyn M. for her knowledge and experience, for opening the doors to finding much of this information!