We must vote our conscience

As citizens of the United States, we have a responsibility to vote. It’s gift that has been given to us by the lives and deaths of many patriots.

Too many of us fail to even register to vote. The reasons are varied. We’re too lazy. We don’t believe we’ll have time to vote. We’re afraid we’ll be called for jury duty. We don’t believe our vote will make a difference. We have a jaded view of politicians in general, thinking mistakenly, that they are all there to line their pockets. The list goes on and on. Yet those of us who fail to vote and don’t take part in the process, should forfeit our right to complain; for if we’re not part of the solution, then we’re part of the problem.

Our nation faces many political challenges. We’re involved in global skirmishes. We are conflicted about how to address the existence of illegal immigrants within our borders; and fifty years after the start of the civil rights movement, we still haven’t resolved the racism issue. We are divided about the right to life of the unborn child; and even though we are one of the richest countries in the world, poverty is still rampant in our country.

These are just some of the many political issues facing government today. How government responds depends on us. We must vote on conscience, based on which public policies are morally sound and which candidate’s views are consistent with ours.

For example, if we seek justice for all, want to eliminate racism and end human trafficking, then we have to select officials who will implement and enforce laws designed to do just that.

If we are committed to human life and opposed to abortion, euthanasia, and destructive research on human embryos then we must vote for candidates who embrace these same values.As Christians, we must take the time to research and support candidates who recognize that the family, based on marriage between a man and a woman, is the basic unit of society; and who will support policies to provide food and shelter, education and employment, health care and housing to those dealing with disabilities, terminal illness, or who are poor. In so doing, we are following Christ’s command to “love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

It should not matter to us to which political party the candidate belongs. But we must not be a “one issue” voter. We have to look at a candidate’s total history and supported policies. It may be that a candidate may be in favor of something we support, but yet supports something we feel is a non-negotiable item, such as a right to life. If that’s the case, we should not support that candidate. It’s not unusual for us to be faced with the choice of the “lesser of two evils.” However, we must look not only to oppose laws that violate natural law, we must support laws and lawmakers who act for the common good.

Voter turnout has been notoriously low in recent years. In the last election, when so many candidates and amendments were on ballots around the country, only 36 percent of eligible voters took the time to vote. Many states had record low turnouts.

If we are going to turn this country around, we must take control of the ballot box. We must support the candidates who support our issues. We must promote voter registration. We must encourage our family members and friends to vote.

Finally, we must vote our conscience.