https://www.ballotready.org/

I cannot recommend this organization highly enough. They provide nonpartisan information on candidates in every state for every election.

First i go to vote411 (.org i think). It’s a website from the league of women voters that asks each candidate the same questions. Sometimes candidates don’t answer or are so vague that their answers are useless. Then i look to see who the local newspaper is endorsing. When both of those are unsuccessful, i find the hateful group (in Texas it’s the true Texas project), see who they endorse, and vote opposite.

In my neck of the literal woods this has become an incredibly simplistic exercise. It used to be that I’d take the time to research their positions on specific issues… sometime even calling them up and asking questions. What party they belonged to was not always a reliable indicator of this so it was worth taking the time. But these days, where I live, we’re lucky to get even one candidate who is not a mouth breathing MAGA cult member.

So I just look up their voter registration and political contributions.

The local newspapers in my area send each candidate in every race a form of question that they then print. Typically it is very easy to tell which candidates understand what the that form is, there are those that don’t understand, and then there are ones that don’t return it. It’s makes choosing much easier for me. I’ll still pull of websites and check past news articles for each one I am considering.

Support your local newspapers!

I applaud OP for making an effort to get involved locally but can sympathize with their struggles. Local government elections typically have a more new candidates that don’t have a track record of experience to go back on. Additionally, there are a handful of boilerplate campaign promises that you’ll see over and over again (smart spending, lower taxes, etc). I’ve personally found some success with the following approaches:

1. Even if you don’t get a ton of info from the candidate themselves, it’s still worth it looking at their website and seeing what they choose to make the centerpiece of their campaign.

2. Look up your local Democratic and Republican Party websites and see who they endorse. Often, even if a candidate is unaffiliated, the local political parties will have some insight as to who THEY would prefer. That tells you something too.

3. Try to attend local government events. You’ll learn a TON by attending a city council or school board meeting. In my local area, I’ve seen representatives half asleep or reading newspapers during discussions. At the very least, look at who takes the position seriously. Additionally, try to see who is asking smart questions, and conveys that they understand the subject matters well.

I think we should be encouraging more people for get involved locally. That’s how grassroots efforts turn into more options nationally.

Everyone else gave good advice. Also, if you have a group you support, like the ACLU or the EFF, they often have recommendations.

Different countries have different sources of information about candidates.

I don’t live in the US but absorb quite a lot of political media from there. Number 1 rule is not to back Republicans, especially if you can’t find much information on them. There are Republicans up and down the ballot who are trying to implement a Christian Nationalist agenda, many of them on the down-low, and if you have no evidence either way it’s better to assume they are.

Next step is to google/bing/ddg the ones you’re considering and see what you can dig up on them and their opinions. Do they have a history of unsavoury social media posts? Do they go to church? Who is their pastor? What do they stand for? Are they incumbent, or have they previously held office? What did they say / vote for before?

Thank you for taking an interest in local and down-ballot races. Your participation is vital to keep fascists and lunatics out of school boards and sherrif’s offices.

This last election, I googled the candidates and voted for the ones that hadn’t tried to ban books at the local library.

I research the name of the candidates and do research on them. Sometimes I’m left only between an R and and D so I guess I just pick D since I have no other choice. When I get multiple D then I check the campaign page, ballotpedia, wiki to see what they stand for.

Judges also the same way, although they’re a little trickier since they try not to side with any one party but some stuff may give them away you kinda just have to check their entire background.

The League of Women Voters in your area will usually have in-depth info on candidates and issue on your ballot.

You can also research their endorsements. Does a candidate have endorsements from local unions, newspaper, other public servants? Do you trust the endorser?

As you continue to vote and follow these local elections, you will get better at learning about them. The best thing to do is to be involved yourself. If you become active with civic organizations, you’ll be more connected to what is happening with local leadership (churches, cleanup groups, food bank, trade groups, etc.). Basically see if you can volunteer wherever you usually donate locally.

I know it’s still online, but I’m not sure if you’ve done this already. I personally join community groups on Facebook and see how they interact with people. It’s been quite telling.

Have you considered talking to them? Yeah it might take time but depending on how local, they’d probably love to meet for coffee or something.

Campaign materials and newspaper articles. In the US, it’s pretty rare even for small communities, not to find at least some of this information online.

Have you tried contacting them with questions about issues that concern you?