As Election Day nears, the number of political advertisements thrown at voters increases. Unfortunately, these ads are often like attack dogs. They ignore reasoning and just spring for the kill. Many voters find themselves mired in muck. Disenchantment settles in, and the phrase, 'Every politician is a liar,' surfaces.
Voters need to remember, though, that often the negativity comes from the party or interest groups, not the candidate. Soft money flows into campaigns, and the issues are distorted and even lost. Instead of focusing on voting records and policy stands, the voter learns only about the bad side of the candidate - past drug and alcohol abuse, behavior of family members, and misunderstood quotes.
Yet a majority of Americans think these negative campaigns are unfair and want campaigns to avoid negativity, according to a 1999 survey by the Project on Campaign Conduct. Sixty-seven percent of Americans think backbiting campaigning is wrong, as 61 percent believe it is unethical. Three-fourths of the population would be more likely to vote for a candidate who abided by ethics in his or her campaigning.
A study by the Annenberg Public Policy Center found most Americans know little about the actual issues in campaigns. Because of the lack of issues addressed by candidates and parties, voters tend to grab a hold of one issue and choose whom to vote for based on this one issue.
When voters do this, they are falling into the trap set by the designers of the negative ads. It is easier to make voters agree on one issue than on several.
Decisions as important as who controls our government should not and cannot be made based on a single issue. The laws a candidate will support if put in office reflect the values of the society they come from. Voters should vote for the candidate they feel best represents their values, not for a single 'fire starter' issue that often has little to do with actual political policy.
Members of the LDS church have been counseled to choose carefully and wisely in their voting. In a statement issued by the First Presidency in 1998, church leaders encouraged members 'to study the candidates carefully and vote for those individuals they believe will act with integrity and in ways conducive to good communities and good government.'
We ask voters to rise above the single-issue campaigns set before them and decide whom to vote for based on a range of stances. Look at the core values of candidates. Learn about the realities of the campaign. Choose the candidate you feel will best reflect your values, beliefs and morals in his or her political decisions.