HOW TO WIN AN ELECTION

How to Tell if a Person Is Republican or Democrat

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Knowing someone's political party is a good start to understanding their political beliefs. Republicans and Democrats tend to have similar beliefs as people in their own party, but not all the time. While reading this article, keep in mind that being a Republican or Democrat doesn't have to mean the person agrees with all of their party's policies.

Steps

1. Ask. There's nothing wrong with asking someone what their political affiliation is. If you weren't already, try bringing up a conversation about politics. Then try asking something like "hey I was just wondering, are you a Republican or Democrat?" Make sure that you be respectful of their answer, even if it isn't the one you wanted to hear.
2. Talk about the president. If you don't want to directly ask, one of the easiest ways to guess which party a person is in is to find out what they think of the current president. Most people, especially the ones who don't follow politics as much, will show a lot of respect for the president if they are in the same party. People also are very quick to point out the flaws of a president if they are in the other party. Keep in mind that this and all the other following steps are not nearly as accurate as just asking.
3. Observe the person's other views. Republicans tend to be economically and socially conservative, while Democrats tend to be liberal. Again keep in mind these are only generalizations.
4. Find out what the person's parents are. Most Americans are in the same party as their parents.
5. Find out the percentages of Republicans and Democrats in the state they live in. Also Democrats tend to be in more urban areas and Republicans in rural areas. These are very risky to use as a guess though.

Tips

• Be respectful of others no matter what party they are in. It is the multi-party system that keeps the power of the US in the citizens' hands, and nobody should be discriminated against for expressing their political views.

Warnings

• It's ok to guess, but never assume a person's party unless you directly asked them.

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