The caucus season is coming up, and for those of us over the age of 18, it means your vote finally counts for something. Iowa is the first state to caucus in the entire U.S., which means presidential candidates have been calling, emailing and commercializing their best traits on every television channel. All of the advertising can be quite the overload of information. To help you get started on making an informed decision, here are four top presidential candidates (two Democrats and two Republicans) and their basic stands on five broad issues:

Hillary Clinton (Democrat): Her campaign trail has been peppered with scandals and accusations ranging from top-secret emails to sex scandal cover-ups involving her husband and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. Aside from the speculations and interrogations, what does she really stand for?

• Government Spending & National Debt – Clinton will rid the United States of debt by defunding government programs listed as “ineffective.”
• National Security – Our military should be cutting edge and our homeland should be safe. Defeating ISIS, holding China accountable, and never allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon are high on Clinton’s list of things-to-do.
• Immigration Reform – Families should have a path to full and equal citizenship, although immigration enforcement should be humane, targeted and effective.
• Gun Control – Clinton will increase the number of gun sales subject to background checks and ban military-style assault weapons.
• Healthcare – The government should reduce the cost of prescription drugs and out-of-pocket costs. Clinton herself will continue to defend the Affordable Care Act.

Bernie Sanders (Democrat): At 74-years-young, Bernie Sanders is one of the oldest presidential candidates in history. His campaign has been entirely funded by volunteers and anonymous sources, which is a remarkable feat on its own. Sanders has been popular with the college and high school crowd, mainly because he regularly advocates for free tuition into college.

• Government Spending & National Debt – Sanders will reduce the defense budget, invest in infrastructure and use progressive taxation to prevent an aristocratic class of America.
• National Security – The U.S. military will not be deployed unless it is a case of absolute emergency; war should be a last resort.
• Immigration Reform – The U.S. does not need to build a border if we modernize our border and ensure proper oversight that protects communities on both sides.
• Gun Control – Gun control is largely a state issue because rural and urban communities have disagreements over the right to firearms.
• Healthcare – Medicare should be affordable and available for everyone. This also means lowering co-pays and deductibles.

Donald Trump (Republican): If you haven’t heard of Donald Trump by now, where have you been for the past couple of months? The man has been in headlines constantly because of his outspoken stance on immigration, ISIS and every other candidate running against him (including other Republicans).

• Government Spending & National Debt – Reduce costs by defunding the defense budget and the Department of Education and preparing for another stock market crash.
• National Security – Defeat ISIS and other terrorist groups, work to reinstall waterboarding and other forms of interrogation.
• Immigration Reform – Ban Muslims from entering America, build a wall and make Mexico pay for it.
• Gun Control – Protect the Second Amendment and focus on reforming mental health care.
• Healthcare -Obamacare must be replaced with Health Savings Accounts.

Ted Cruz (Republican): 

Cruz has been making waves as a surprise front-runner alongside Donald Trump. He’s running as a conservative Republican.

• Government Spending & National Debt – Reinstitute President Reagan’s Grace Commission to assess federal spending levels and decide what departments need to be cut.
• National Security – Rebuild our military to defeat ISIS and “rip up” the Iranian nuclear deal.
• Immigration Reform – Border security is national security; a wall should be built with triple security and biometric tracking to keep illegals out.
• Gun Control – The Second Amendment needs to be protected.
• Healthcare – Repeal Title I of Obamacare, which would undo much of the law, and replace with a new bill that allows health care to be bought across state lines.

Information for each candidate’s position taken from their respective websites: www.hillaryclinton.com, www.berniesanders2016.com, www.donaldjtrump.com, www.tedcruz.org.