Do you have any advice for me for the first time I am able to cast my vote?

This will be the first election that I am old enough to participate in and I saw in another question that someone actually addressed me intentionally.





Please only serious and respectful answers.





I will be casting my ballot far from home as I will be in Camp Pendleton in California.Do you have any advice for me for the first time I am able to cast my vote?
If you will be voting from Camp Pendleton and it isn't your


home it will require an absentee ballot. I assume you have


already registered to vote and have selected either a


Democratic or Republican party affiliation;.





Think you need to go to your registrar of voters and get all


the info necessary.





Then you just have to decide for yourself which candidate


you favor whether that candidate is within or outside of your


chosen party.





Good luck.Do you have any advice for me for the first time I am able to cast my vote?
Pay attention. Don't vote based on wedge issues or smear campaigns...
Make your own choice based on what you believe and hope it ends up counting as in the past some votes were thrown out do to various discrepancies! Nothing worse than going to the polls to vote , then finding out it was for nothing!
Save the world from communism, vote Republican.
Sure.


Vote your best interests.
Hey, join the club! It's my first election too! Sweet.





My advice would be to find as much information about each of the candidates as you possibly can. Visit their websites for their official positions and make sure you find one you like, then verify that those positions are in line with their historical stances (it should be easy, since most of them are current or former government officials. If they aren't, that probably isn't the candidate you want because you don't know if they're being honest now or not. You'll run into that a lot, so find the one who you think is the most honest and who lines up most closely with your beliefs. Take news stories with a grain of salt, since a lot of times the authors already have their minds made up about candidates; above all, though, know as much as you possibly can before you cast your vote. There's no such thing as knowing too much. Happy travels!
Clinton
Ignore media advertisements, they are paid by criminal Elites. Don't pay attention to YA war between parties, it's the most useless stupid thing ever ?!


Do your own research, be independent !





My Best Regards.





Camp Pendelton, you got the best beach front property in So Cal, Surf is up dude? lol





Good Question.
I agree with most of the answers thus far, but I'd like to add: Research your top candidates' voting histories to see if they back what they say. You'd be amazed how many people get suckered every election year because they never check to see how their reps are behaving AFTER the election.
Go to all of the candidates websites, read their stances and speeches, check out their voting record, and then see who matches what you think is best for America. That person should get your vote.





Good luck, and always vote!
Basically if you are against the war and want the Military that you are evidently serving in, not supported, or don't care if the boarder isn't secure, then you want to vote for a Democrat. If you love your country, want it defended, and want the boarder secure, then vote Republican.
Know the issues before you vote. I am sure you know about the presidential candidates, or you would have never asked this question; but I am specifically referring to local offices.





Here is a good example, in my town, like across the US, many people voted democrat in the 2004 election. However, for the head of town council, the town voted in a corrupt ex-officer who was brought up on federal charges. How did this happen? Well, no one had a clue as to what this guy stood for, he just happened to be a democrat. In fact, we are still in the process of voting him out.





My point is, people worry too much about the politics of the presidency at the expense of their own town. You must follow all of the issues and candidates that you are voting for. My first time in the booth, 18 like you, I could not make myself vote for the local offices because I did zero research. It made me feel under prepared and I regretted it for a long time after.





In any event, it is commendable to hear someone, especially at your age, thinking ahead like this. I wish everyone was as prepared as you already seem to be.
Pay attention to which issues the candidates support and vote for the candidate whose issues, platforms you agree with.





I was old enough to vote for the first time in the 1980 election (Carter vs. Reagan). I was 19 and in college, and -sad to say - I was not sure who to vote for... so I brought along a quarter for me to flip.


:-P
Do a lot of studying, that's all any of us can do. Look to the future, who do you think will give you a more secure future? It also helps to read some history and learn about past mistakes and triumphs.
Vote for who you believe will represent to the world what we as Americans value. If you believe that government can be effective if run properly vote Democrat. If you believe corporations are the most effective and efficient at delivering goods and services and do this best without government interference then vote republican.
Close you eyes.


Point your finger.


Press the button.