this post was submitted on 06 Jan 2026
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United States | News & Politics

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[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

One might think that... but no. Unfortunately, most voters get their information from cable news sound bites. It's also worth remembering that the average American can't read above a 6th grade level. Critical analysis is not a skill they are well-versed in.

I base who I vote for on personal research into the background (and often voting records) of every person that I expect to see on my ballot. I get nervous about city elections because I usually only have a single newspaper article to summarize all of the candidates to go on and it's not enough. I'm an extreme minority in this case. Most educated people may do a little research over big-time candidates but almost nobody looks very deep. Hell, I find myself inadvertently bashing the former president Joe Biden specifically because he never would have won if his constituency were more familiar with his voting record as a senator. They just mark down whichever candidate has the correct team designation next to their name.

Go! Team! Win! Dems are gonna win Super Bowl LXII!