#Rethink Voting - Apply Critical Thinking

[Reimagine Curator]

Midterm Elections No more waiting. It's happening in 8 days from the release of this eNews. If you haven't already voted as an early in-person voter, mail-in-ballot voter, or absentee voter, plan now to vote in person on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. BEFORE YOU VOTE   CRITICAL THINKING Thinking that is clear, accurate, knowledgeable, reflective, and fair in deciding what to believe or do is responsible thinking in pursuing reasonable, relevant, and reliable knowledge about the world. The ability to come to reliable and trustworthy conclusions about the world to live successfully in it.   HOW TO APPLY CRITICAL THINKING TO VOTING 1. What Does This Mean? "Where is this candidate running for office coming from?" "What is the context -- social, cultural, historical, literary, scientific, etc.?"  "Why does this candidate care about this? Why does this candidate not care about this law or measure? What are their perceived goals or agendas?"  "What is this the candidate's point of view or perspective?"  "What is this the candidate taking for granted, assuming, or presupposing?" "What is the language of this candidate? What narrative are they sharing?" 2.  Why Should You Believe or not Believe This? "What are you being asked to accept?" "What would you have to agree with for this person to decide that this argument has served its purpose?" "What are the reasons why you should accept this claim?" "What judgments, observations, evidence, etc. support this view?" 3. What Else? "What other kinds of things are going on?" 4. Vet the Candidate Do your research Check their vote record How often have they changed their point of view? Who supports this candidate? Do you agree with the supporter's platform?  5. Reach your conclusions and support your stance What is your position on the issue? What are your reasons? Do you have sufficient and reliable support? What are the strengths and weaknesses of your argument? Do you have any bias or assumption?   Note: Some information for this document has been pulled from many sources. News in Motion does not own the copyright of this entire document but was granted permission to use and make adjustments to speak to civic engagement, town hall meetings, and voter education.