Follow the money. Financial contributions made to candidates can provide a great deal of insight to potential voters. Individuals, businesses and Political Action Committees (PAC) donate money to candidates they support. The information is available on the Secretary of State website. Company and PAC names might not be obvious identifiers and may require research to learn about the donations and the organizations making them to candidates.
track the bill. Review basic information about legislation passed through the legislative session. You can read the text of the bill, identify the bill's sponsor and figure out in which committee the bill started. Go to the "media archive" page to download a video of the discussion.
READ responses to questionnaires. Several organizations send questionnaires for candidates to state their positions: The Idaho Statesman, League of Women Voters (LWV), and American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) are a few. Does the candidate participate in the questionnaires sent to them? If not, why not?
TALK to friends or family who are engaged in educating themselves about the candidates. Ask them why they are voting for a specific candidate - or why not? Work in a group with others who are willing to find information to share. Expand your sphere to others and share information even if you don't always agree. Engagement is more important than our differences.
"Voting is as much an emotional act as it is an intellectual one."
Monica Crowley