Choosing a Wise Person Better than Choosing a Friend

   Too late now, as the election looms tomorrow. But, how would I decide who to vote for, if I had taken more time?
   I think of three races where I know candidates on the ballot. Do I vote for someone because I know them? Do I vote for them because they are religious leaders, and of the religion I believe in and belong to?
   I think it good if a person can lay aside personal associations, and choose the candidate who will best fill the post. But, I wonder if I or anyone else can be so even-handed. I wish to be and aspire to be.
   But, what are the ways for sifting through the candidates? Do I seek out the honest and honorable, those of integrity, above all else?
   Or, do I pick a key issue, say, immigration, and vote solely based on that?
   Perhaps I study them the candidates well, learning their stands on all the issues, and vote for the one closest to me on most things.
   Or, do I just seek a person of wisdom? Do pick the person not who has decided where they stand on every issue, but who will weigh each issue, each topic, each stand?
   All of these methodologies have value. Of them, though, I wonder if the last is the best of all -- that is, were it possible to determine the wisdom of the candidate, and, were it possible that candidates themselves valued weighing their stands as much as already having them. Can you imagine a candidate putting out a flyer saying, "I haven't taken stands on a number of issues, but promise to study those issues and vote accordingly." Or, "Vote for Jim Vinch: The candidate who is still weighing his stand on Common Core!"
   Instead of appreciating such open-mindedness, we, the voters, would eat them up for being indecisive, for lacking vision, and for flip-flopping.
   Of course, some candidates may have already weighed most all of the issues, and came to their conclusions already. In those cases, if I am seeking a person of wisdom, I need to seek for someone who can tell me why he or she holds the views they do. If I can see their reasoning was wise, then I can select those who are wise.