A Political Mess

I planned to make it through this Presidential election without sharing my "two-cents," but, as it turns out, I've got a few things I just want to say.
I'm not going to get particularly political or voice my opinions on the candidates.
Really.
But as the polls continue to close across the United States, I've just got a few things I want to voice.
I believe that it is the responsibility of every American to do his or her civic duty and vote in both local and national elections.
HOWEVER...
I also believe it is the civic duty of those same Americans to be knowledgeable about what the candidate they cast their votes for represents. Not knowing what you are voting for is just the same as tying on a blindfold before you enter the voting booth and letting the pen fall where it may. I don't claim to be a political genius (far from it), but I believe the candidates I vote for are, to my knowledge, the most qualified for the job at hand.
In this ecosystem of academia by which I find myself presently surrounded, I was astounded today at the quantity of incorrect information being thrown around. As I mentioned above, there are many things about politics I know I do not know. For that reason, I try to keep my mouth shut, as I was taught, like many Southern ladies, that politics has no place in polite conversation. Today there were times when I practically had to bite off the end of my tongue to keep from saying something I knew I should keep to myself. From Roe v. Wade to redistribution of funds to tax cuts to waiting periods for handguns... there was misinformation flying all over the place from Republicans and Democrats, alike.
Also, while this issue is nothing new, I was irritated by the number of people using their popularity and status to influence those who were unable to make up their minds for themselves. Be it actors, musicians or bosses, I believe that politics is one of those issues that belongs in its' own category. I applaud pop culture icons like Carrie Underwood, who encouraged all Americans to get to the polls and cast their vote but did not endorse a specific candidate.
Between the pseudo-Liberals jumping on the blue bandwagon just because it's in style right now to do so and the naive, straight-ticket conservatives who voted red just because that's what their parents did, I really don't know which one makes me more embarrassed for my own generation.
Here is a quote I overheard today from an acquaintance close to my own age (and this is just one example; the generalizations crossed party lines, age lines, socioeconomic lines, and everything in between):
"Poor, uneducated people always vote Republican."
Need I say more?
I am stepping down from my soapbox now, as all around me the ignorant continue to masquerade as the informed.
It's going to be a long night.