By Cassandra Chabot–Granite State News Collaborative

New Hampshire residents should be mindful of two upcoming dates: Sept. 10 and Nov. 5. It’s no surprise if the second date grabs your attention immediately – it’s Election Day across the country, when voters elect a president and other candidates for federal office as well as state officials, like governors and legislators.  However, Sept. 10 is just as important, and arguably more so for the average citizen, according to John Lappie, an associate professor of political science department at Plymouth State University.

Why? Sept. 10 is the day New Hampshire holds party primary elections to determine the different parties’ candidates for state offices in the November election.

 “Who wins these races does have an effect on your day-to-day life. This isn’t just something that happens on TV,” said Lappie. 

With 400 House and 24 Senate seats to fill, five executive councilor seats, a new governor to pick as well as  candidates for various county offices, New Hampshire voters have a lot to think about. 

“One of the best ways to learn about these candidates is to go to local party meetings or local government meetings and ask around. Those people tend to be relatively plugged in,” Lappie said. Another possible way to learn about candidates is through political questionnaires, like the one run every election year by Citizens Count as well as the candidate information on sites like Ballotpedia. 

Liz Tentarelli, president of the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, also suggested checking out a sample ballot, which can provide the names and parties of individuals running for office in the state.

Both Tentarelli and Lappie warned of the danger of  using social media as a primary source of information  and focusing on unreliable news coverage. “Most commonly, you’ll see a post on a website like Facebook with a link to a news article from a disreputable source. Studies have shown that people are less likely to assess the worth of a source if it's received through social media,” Lappie said..

Judging candidates strictly off the letter next to their name on the ballot is not enough to cast a proper judgment. “It doesn’t tell you who they are as a person. It doesn’t tell you whether or not they’d be effective at their job. That’s why it’s so important to actually dig in,” said Lappie.

The Know Your Vote, youth voter guide  project was designed, reported and produced by student and young professional journalists from The Clock,The Concord Monitor, The Equinox, Granite State News Collaborative, Keene State College, The Laconia Daily Sun, The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript, Nashua Ink Link and The Presidency and the Press program at Franklin Pierce University. See the full guide at  www.collaborativenh.org/know-your-vote.