Good Question: How Much Should You Know Before Voting?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- By the time the election is over, as many as 3 million Minnesotans could vote. Some will know a lot about the candidates and the issues on the ballot. Others will walk into the voting booth much less information.
So, if you're uninformed about a certain race, should you still vote? Good Question.
Voting a right many people fought for and a duty Americans are taught they should do.
"The bias is to say yes," says Howard Lavine, a professor political psychology at the University. "There's a very strong social norm in this society, especially in Minnesota, to turn out and vote."
He says people shouldn't necessarily vote in every race, especially those where are voting simply at random.
"You should vote in as many races as you think you can make an informed choice," he says.
Often, voters make political choices with very little information. That information can range from political party affiliation to incumbency to name familiarity. Data from past elections show close to 90 percent of voters vote according to party affiliation.
"If you plan on voting and you don't know very much what people can often do is rely on those in their social networks to provide them with some informational source," says Levine. "It can just be one piece of information but it can be very helpful."