Two Issues to Consider Before You Vote

If you asked me in good Thanksgiving fashion what I’m thankful for this year, I’d say that I am incredibly grateful that the election season is coming to a close! I don’t know about you, but I grew weary long ago of the negative attacks and outrageous claims from both sides as candidates clamor to get our vote.

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The congressional race in the state where I live has received national attention because it is so incredibly heated. Both parties are claiming that their candidate is ahead in the polls by the narrowest of margins. In one day, a local radio station counted the number of political ads that ran on TV to be in the hundreds! By this point, I think they’ve said all they need to say {and plenty they don’t need to say}!

While our days have been consumed by what is a very important presidential race and other political campaigns, I think that there are two essential things to consider before you cast your ballot next Tuesday.

Find out where the candidates stand on the truly important issues. It’s easy for me sometimes to look at one or two things that a candidate stands for or what party they associate themselves with and automatically assume I’m voting for the right person. But, this isn’t always the case. And, if I may be so bold as to say this, there are times in the past where I haven’t just voted according to party lines. I live in one of only three states in the nation where, until last year, all of our US Congressmen were Democrats while our governor was always a Republican. And they were good politicians and decent men, so it worked!

However, in recent years the parties seem to be becoming more polarized. There are matters that are important to me and I’m learning that I need to make sure I’m making a fully informed decision. If you want to understand the Democratic and Republican party platforms, you can learn more about them on the CitizenLink website.

On a state level, you can go to the candidate’s website or find information about measures you are voting on in your state. I’ve found that a lot of measures on our state ballot are worded in an awkward way so I don’t know if I’m actually supposed to be voting yes or no! Some candidates and measures are in extremely close races at this point and so your vote really does make a difference!

If you automatically think you’ll vote for someone without really wanting to learn more about them, please consider how their views compare to Biblical and moral standards. For me, there are some candidates I just cannot vote for because their core beliefs are very different from mine. My core beliefs are measured against the Bible since I believe that it has more authority than what I may feel seems right to me.

As I grow more in my faith, some areas that were gray when I was younger and uninformed are becoming more black and white. There are certain standards that I held to from a young age, but now those standards are trickling into other areas of my life, making me more secure in my convictions. My core Christian beliefs help me to measure each candidate, individually, against the standard of the Word. No one running for office is perfect, but there are certain people I feel will best represent the truth. Maybe you feel that way too!

After all this rambling {I’m really writing this post off the top of my head as it wasn’t the one I’d planned on writing}, I think it’s also important to realize that we cannot expect to change the views of everyone around us. This doesn’t mean we shy away from the truth or neglect our high standards when it comes time to vote. I truly believe there is a battle going on today in our nation! It simply means that we continue to respectfully share our convictions, pray for our country and our leaders {even if we don’t like them} and most importantly, trust in the God who is strong and mighty to save.

For ^BD)’>a rock, except our God?—
³² the God who ^BF)’>blameless.
³³ He made my feet like the feet of a ^BH)’>the heights.
³⁴ He ^BJ)’>supported me,
    and your ^BL)’>gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. 
Psalm 18:32-36

Will you be voting this coming Tuesday? What things are important to you as you consider who to vote for?

Shared at Women Living Well