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How to be an educated voter

High school and college students protest the election of Donald Trump at the University of California, Berkeley, Nov. 9. Despite improved turnout in the presidential election, only 53 percent of California millennials are registered to vote.
High school and college students protest the election of Donald Trump at the University of California, Berkeley, Nov. 9. Despite improved turnout in the presidential election, only 53 percent of California millennials are registered to vote. JIM WILSON New York Times

I read Sabrina Foreman’s Oct. 1 letter with both interest and concern. I share her concern about not wanting to vote on matters she does not understand. I have voted in every election for which I was eligible for the past 57 years. In that time, I have been, and will still be, faced with propositions I do not understand and candidates I am unfamiliar with.

My solution is to learn as much as I can about the candidates, the issues, and the propositions on the ballots and vote on those I understand. The rest I leave blank.

This can’t (and shouldn’t) be taught in schools. If teachers tell students how to vote, they should be fired. They can educate students on the mechanics of voting and provide historical, social, scientific and economic context, but how a person votes is a personal privilege. Please don’t waste it.

There are many ways to become an educated voter: read newspapers, watch the news, study history, go to free lectures (e.g. Robert Costa at SaveMart Center on Oct. 16, 6 p.m., free). But above all, voters should care about their country and their future by voting, even if it is only for one candidate or one issue!

George Burman, Fresno

This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 1:08 AM with the headline "How to be an educated voter."

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