By Ande Jacobson
2026 is a particularly ugly election year. While negative campaigning has become far too common in US elections, it has reached a fever pitch with disinformation far outweighing factual data in the flood of noise blanketing the internet where most people get their news and information these days. That makes it ever more challenging to honestly evaluate our ballots for each election. Fortunately, at least in California, there are a number of fact-based sites where voters can research the propositions and the candidates honestly.
There are some general practices that make the job of researching the propositions and the candidates a little less overwhelming.
- Follow the money. Look to see who (and which organizations they represent) sponsors each proposition or initiative, and who writes the arguments pro and con. Then look to see who endorses the yes and no positions beyond the basic arguments. The same goes for the candidates. Look to see who and which organizations endorse them.
- Check the candidate’s records. As with grades and work history, past performance is the best predictor we have for how they will behave in the future.
- In today’s polarized reality, party affiliation also matters in the current moment if democracy is to survive. The truth is that the Democrats are trying to protect our democracy while the Republicans are trying to end it in favor of an authoritarian style of government where we the people don’t have a say.
Some sites that help sort through the noise include:
- http://www.change.vote – This site does an excellent job with national and state initiatives and national and state candidate races giving voters easy to read, side by side comparisons of platforms and performance for the candidates along with factual data for intention and impacts of the propositions.
- https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2026/ – This gives a thorough breakdown on all of the state-wide propositions and many of the major candidate races.
- http://www.peterates.com – Peter Stahl provides a sometimes humorous and informative rundown of the state-wide propositions on the ballot each election. He recommends a position, and even if a voter doesn’t completely agree with his recommendation, the data he provides is useful and fact-based.
- https://aclucalaction.org/2026-election-guide/ – The ACLU has taken a forceful position in support of everyone’s civil rights that are crucial for a functional democracy and makes recommendations for propositions that have a direct effect on those rights.
One proposition on the California ballot stands out above the rest this time – Prop 39, the California version of the SAVE Act which if passed would make it far more difficult for eligible voters to vote under the guise of fixing a problem that is already exceedingly rare. Don’t be fooled by the propaganda on this one. Vote No on Prop 39. For a detailed look at the ramifications of this initiative, see the ACLU’s deep dive.
While some voters may think that their vote doesn’t matter, that is not at all true. In the last ten years, we have seen quite dramatically how much those choosing to stay home and not vote at all has changed the national picture bringing us to a place where we could lose democracy in the US. We have a federal government that is on the brink of eliminating the Constitution that is the foundation of our rule of law under which our democracy functions. The executive branch under the current president has taken steps to terrorize the general public to make people afraid to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed right to vote. In addition to trying to stop people from voting at all, the current president has instructed the DOJ (an agency that is supposed to follow the Constitution, not the orders of a president overstepping his authority) to interfere in state elections.
The people of the US cannot let this stand. The federal government has no role in how elections are run. That responsibility and authority is explicitly given to the states by the Constitution.
We the people can and must elect Senators and Representatives who will do their constitutional duty to provide checks on and balance the other two branches of the federal government, the executive and judicial branches, as appropriate. We the people can and must elect a congress that will create legislation to help the American people – all of the American people not just those with the most money.
We the people can and must elect a Senate that will take its constitutional duty seriously when evaluating nominees for confirmation for roles in the federal government. The Senate isn’t supposed to be a rubber stamp for whatever the president wants. Its constitutional duty to provide advice and consent means that it should never confirm any nominee who is unqualified or unfit to serve in the position for which they’ve been nominated, yet, under the current Republican majority, that’s exactly what has happened. The result is a federal government led by individuals who are completely unqualified and unfit to serve and are actively working to dismantle the agencies they run and put the American public in danger.
The destruction of the FDA and the EPA have made our food and water supplies unsafe and our air unhealthy directly threatening our health and well-being. The destruction of the FDA and the CDC has also put our health at risk and damaged the country’s ability to react to potential health emergencies when the next pandemic hits. Make no mistake, there will be another pandemic at some point, and we are woefully unprepared for when it comes. The weaponization of the DOJ and DHS has put everyone in the US at risk but especially people of color and those who actively speak out against the actions this government is taking. Peaceful assembly and petitioning the government for a redress of grievances are rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. Everyone knows about freedom of speech and religion, but they often forget that peaceful protest is also a guaranteed right through this important Amendment.
The current congressional majority has shown the nation and the world that their allegiance is not to the Constitution to which they swore an oath. Instead, the current congressional majority is loyal to the president no matter what he asks, even when what he asks is illegal, or even worse, treasonous.
We the people can elect state and local representation who will work in our best interests. We can be active participants in how our country operates, but only if we vote and do so responsibly. As a nation, we have taken our democracy for granted and are now at a place where we could lose it for generations if we allow the destruction to continue.
My point is that each vote does matter. If we don’t use our votes wisely, bad things can and do happen. Staying home and not voting is a bad choice.
Now that we are so close to Election Day, don’t trust the US Postal Service to deliver your ballot. If you vote by mail, drop it into a ballot drop box or bring it to a voting center to turn it in to make sure that it is received by your county’s registrar and counted this election.
If you prefer to vote in person, go to an early voting center if at all possible. If you must vote on Election Day, make sure you’re prepared when you go there, and leave plenty of time in case there’s a line.
Voting is a right that we cannot take for granted. Exercise it wisely.
