- 1). Bookmark news sources on the Internet. Consider news sources on all sides of the spectrum, such as CNN, MSNBC, Time, the Huffington Post and Fox. You can also look at social media sites such as Reddit and Digg, which feature user-submitted content, allowing you to see various articles as well as user comments. Having a variety of information from multiple sources is vital to forming your own opinion from the facts you obtain.
- 2). Read forums and message boards on news sites, or even politically centered debates and discussions. You may not obtain any new information, but reading discussions can give you new points of view that you may not have considered before. In many cases, people taking part in these discussions will provide references and sources that you may find it useful to study.
- 3). Look up candidates, politicians and other officials on their websites. You can usually find their official website by entering their name into a search engine. Most high-profile figures have an online profile explaining their stance on key issues.
- 4). Watch debates, discussions and news conferences. Advertisements and prepared speeches are fine, but watching someone discuss issues and take part in debates in which he's forced to think on his feet can tell you a lot about what type of person he is. Listen to what he has to say, watch his body language and evaluate how well he answers each question or responds to each point. Even if his views coincide with yours, make sure he's explaining himself properly and seems confident in his decisions.
- 5). Research key political issues so you can better understand what each issue is about. Many candidates, regardless of the office they seek, will use their campaign to convey their stands on various issues. These issues could influence the way you vote, so examine each category to brush up on each one.
- 6). Research legislation and bills to see their exact text, view progress and see user comments as well as news coverage and other information. Advertisements, news stations, protests and commentators sometimes distort information about bills, so read up on various bills to make sure you understand what they are about. It's easy to get lost in misinformation about important legislation, so read bills yourself to make sure you know exactly what each one involves. You can use a site like OpenCongress (see Resources) to search for a bill or look up hot topics.
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