I remember a commercial from many years ago in which a young man approaches a podium in an empty auditorium and speaks into the microphone, “My vote does not matter!” He then looks satisfied by his declaration until he hears another voice from the auditorium say, “My vote does not matter!” Another voice follows this, then another, until the whole auditorium is filled with people all yelling the same thing. Instead of looking satisfied, the man looks bewildered, and the screen fades to black, with white text and a voiceover saying, “Your vote does matter, please vote!” 

I do not know what year that commercial came out or what election it was for, but I still remember it vividly today. Today, I have to admit that at times, I do wonder if my voice or vote really matters, but I also know that does not mean that I should not vote. In the last presidential election, an estimated 90 million eligible voters did not vote. 90 million! I cannot imagine that so many did not vote or were so discouraged by today’s political climate that they chose not to vote. Again, I know by free speech, people have the right not to vote, but 90 million? In Australia, people are required by law to vote, and if they do not have a valid reason not to, they can be fined. I am not sure I agree with that, but since our forefathers fought for the right of we the people to vote and elect our leaders, I believe we should make every effort to exercise that right. Even if we don’t like the candidates running against each other, we should make the effort to go to the polling station to vote. Trust me, there have been times when I have been tempted to put Daffy Duck as my write-in candidate with the caption, “What a revolting development this is!”, but I still vote. If we don’t like the candidates running in the major election, there are other people to vote for: representatives, mayors, aldermen, and councilmen. There are also state amendments and local county bonds that we can vote yay or nay for. These issues are also important, and they need our vote. Our voice should be heard. And if we choose not to vote, do we have the right to complain about the results when we don’t like them? My wife has often stated, “If you choose not to vote, then you forsake the right to complain about it.”   

With all that is going on in this world, our not voting could indicate that we are okay with it. Dietrick Bonnhoffer warns us that “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak, not to act is to act.” And I would add to that, not to vote is to vote. By not voting, we could inadvertently endorse something we did not intend to endorse or approve something we did not intend to approve. Do we really want to do that? In today’s world, being a Christian is not a spectator sport. We should be knowledgeable about what is going on, be involved when we feel the need, and vote accordingly. Finally, we should be praying for this country, its leaders, and the world, even if we do not like them. My wife’s former caregiver is a devout Christian woman who often complains about this current president and his administration. When I said to her, “I hope that you are praying for them.” She looked at me and declared, “Oh, I pray for them; I pray that God will help them do the right thing for this country and the world.”   I can’t argue with that, and I try to do the same.

So, for this next election, let us not be spectators; do the right thing and vote. Be prayerful, let God help you decide how you should vote, and do it!

Take care,

Bill