Can you believe it??!! We actually get to help pick the people who serve in the governmental offices that guide our community, state, and nation. How many people in our world can really say they feel like their vote or voice counts? But we have an opportunity to make a statement and help guide the direction of the leadership in the place where our citizenship lies. We do this through voting and elections.
If you feel that your vote doesn’t really matter, simply google “Elections decided by one vote.” A number of articles will appear before you that tell of numerous elections that have been decided by one vote. Some of those elections were even on a national level. In fact, a person from our church family ran for an elected position which ended in a tie and the winner was decided by the turn of a card. One vote either way could have made a difference.
Of course, most of us realize there is a bit of homework that we must do before we vote. This homework is to do a bit of learning about what the issues are, learning what candidates truly stand for, and then allowing that information to “inform” how we vote. Please don’t just take the information that one gets in the mailings, in the Facebook posts, in the TV, radio, and newspaper ads as the whole story. Generally, those are slanted toward a specific issue or toward a certain candidate. If an ad or a mailing stirs up feelings of fear or anxiety within you, that ad is definitely slanted in a certain direction and it’s getting the response from you it desires.
The truth is this participation in selecting our governmental leaders and officials is truly hard work. It takes our time and attention to be informed in order to make knowledgeable choices. Yet, this is such an important task in which we can participate. I’m reminded of the saying, “If you don’t vote you have no right to complain about the results.”
As a leader in the church, I have never told people who to vote for. In fact, in the past when “voter guides” were offered to our church, I wouldn’t accept them because I have found those are usually slanted toward a particular party or a particular issue. What I will do is encourage people to vote!! I’ll also tell people to vote their values. As followers of Jesus, another way to look at voting is to vote according to who or what will further the Kingdom of God here on earth, as you understand it.
A final word… Most of us have come to despise the election season, mainly because it tends to be filled with such negativity and divisiveness. Many of the higher profile campaigns tend to be more about tearing down one’s opponent than they are about stating what a candidate stands for. Because of this trend, a United Methodist Church in Kansas has committed to every two-years having a special campaign about how to treat our fellow human beings even in, especially in, an election year. This year the focus is called the “Be Campaign.” They are drawing from Micah 6:8 which states that what God expects of us is to Be Just, Be Kind, and Be Humble. So, as we make our way through the last few days before the actual election day, maybe we can have our own “Be Campaign.” May we each seek to Be Just, Be Kind to one another and may we remember to Be Humble in how we live out our faith and our values each and every day.
So, as we enter this election season – please do your homework and research the candidates and issues, please vote your values, no matter which candidate best represents your values, and most of all…get out there and vote. It does make a difference!!
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith