What dynamics of the political system should a voter understand before voting for a candidate? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

I’m not sure if I’m fully understanding the “dymanics of a political system” part but I can tell you what I look for when I’m looking to support a candidate:

Start with the basics. Go on their website and see where they stand on the issues. If they don’t care about what you care about, look at the next person.

Google them. Find out what their past careers have been like. Have they made decisions that you agree with? Are there stories about their corruption or lies. Who are they?

Endorsements. I always take a look at these. Usually they don’t hold much weight but if an organization I trust and whose work I believe in endorses them it does make a difference. For instance, I am a big fan of Indivisible, their beliefs and ethics mesh with mine, and I know and love their leadership team. So I pay close attention to who they choose to endorse.

Qualifications. I’m big on making sure that I only support qualified candidates. This can look different for every candidate but especially right now when running for office is sexy, I want to be sure the person running for office can actually handle the job. Is it your first time running for office and you’re running for Governor? No. Are you running for city council in a town you just moved to six months ago? Bye.

After all of that, I’ll throw my hat in the ring but always cautiously. These are humans and politicians. If they say something horrifying or have a #metoo problem or turn out to be a serial killer I never allow myself to get so enamored with a candidate that I can’t walk away.

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