We would all like to say that we vote for a presidential candidate because they voice the values and ideologies that we hold dear to our heart, but that is not the truth.

When you sit down and ponder all the reasons you are voting for a candidate, what pops up? How does the person look, sound and act?

In our heads, we have a generic idea of who the President should be and, come election season, we back the person who fits closest to that preconceived generic idea.

First, a candidate needs to look "presidential." The look is the first thing that will captivate a possible supporter. Look is the first thing the public sees and the first thing we judge. Does this candidate look like a President? We would all like to think looks don't matter, but they do. People look at a candidate and, from the start, imagine how this person will make decisions, respond to crisis or act. The closer the candidate looks to our generic idea, the more we will trust the candidate. A trustworthy face is a face you trust even when saying questionable things.

Once you have decided that a candidate looks the part, you want to know how this person sounds. The public loves a candidate who takes authority. The public will not back someone who is timid or who does not take control of a conversation or debate. The Commander and Chief needs to take command and assert his or her dominance. Americans do not respect someone who does not stand up for what they believe in. When a candidate voices their passions and beliefs with power and precision the public will even look past the candidate's questionable viewpoints, but at the end of the day, actions speak louder than words.

The public also judges a candidate by how he or she acts. The President is the face of our nation. What he or she does speaks for all Americans around the world. The President is held to a higher standard than everyone because he is the leader of the free world. That is why when a candidate acts childish and short tempered we need to look closer at the candidates maturity. The President has more power than anyone else. With power comes responsibility. We all know what the president is suppose to act like and when there is a candidate who fits our generic idea we are more inclined to vote for he or she.

Some argue the issues do not matter anymore, and it's hard to dispute them when we are looking for someone who looks and plays the part.

Looks are not everything.