A voting framework for non-partisan voters
Non-partisan voters are voters who are not biased, especially toward the major political parties. They exist because their beliefs do not align with the beliefs of a particular party. They consider each elected position individually. Elections are difficult for non-partisan voters because they must decide.[1]
In an election, each candidate’s goal is to reduce the credibility of the other candidate(s). Smear campaigns, character attacks, and falsehoods create questions about every candidate’s trustworthiness. This leads to a race to the bottom, forcing non-partisan voters to determine which candidate is least untrustworthy.
The media makes it more difficult. The media trumpets its preferred party’s attacks while distorting those from the opposition. This makes fact-checking nearly impossible, forcing non-partisan voters to lean on gut.
A vote for a candidate is not only a vote for the person. It’s also a vote for the policy and political party they represent. This is why partisan voters have it better. They vote for their party’s candidate most of the time. They don’t consider each elected position individually. Elections are easy for partisan voters because they don’t have to decide.
Non-partisan voters must choose whether to primarily vote based on a candidate’s policy (e.g. taxes, spending, and beliefs) or a candidate’s person (e.g. behavior, character, and competence). And you get to make this choice for each elected position independently.
This means a non-partisan voter must answer two questions for each elected position:
Should I vote primarily based on the candidate’s policy or the candidate’s person?
Which candidate should I vote for?
Here’s one possible framework for answering these questions.[2]
Decide whether to vote for the person or policy based on the type of position. For executive positions, the ability for the candidate to lead, make good decisions, and act in good faith is likely most important. For legislative positions, a candidate’s position on your top policy issues is likely most important. If the election is for an executive position, vote based on the candidate’s person. If the election is for a legislative position, vote for the person’s policy.
If you decide to vote for the candidate’s person, decide how to weigh behavior, character, and competence and grade the candidates on each trait. Then, vote for whoever scores highest.
If you decide to vote for the candidate’s policy, decide how to weigh your top policy issues and grade the candidates on each issue. Then, vote for whoever scores highest.
Don’t like this framework? Feel free to adjust it to meet your own needs and let me know how it goes.
Notes
[1] If you disagree with this statement, you might be partisan. If you’re partisan, then elections might be pretty easy for you. You simply vote the party-line with the occasional exception.
[2] Thank you to Ben, Tyler, and Ramy for talking about elections with me. It helped me feel comfortable sharing this framework, which I plan to use for the 2020 election. By no means am I saying this is the right way to vote (or the only way to vote). It’s one way to vote.