If you have ever wanted to fast-forward through this election year, you are not alone. Just the thought of politics can be frustrating, even to those of us who feel it is our duty as American citizens to vote. While it is tempting to think that one vote will not affect the outcome of an election, it can be even more tempting to give in to peer pressure and pick the candidate for whom “everyone else” is voting, whether or not you know anything about him or her.
But for many of you reading this, Nov. 6 will mark your first presidential election. For some of you, this will be your first chance to affect the future of our country. The fact that you have a say in what our country will look like during the next four years is an exciting concept, and it is worth your doing something other than flipping a coin in the ballot box before choosing a candidate. So before you give up on voting altogether, here are a few tips to help you make your decision:
1. Do your research. It’s not enough to know which party each candidate represents; it is important to know what candidates personally stand for and to see whether their values match yours. One way you can do this is by taking VoteSmart.org’s “Vote Easy” quiz, which will have you answer questions about the economy, abortion, national defense and other issues. The quiz will then take your answers to match you to the candidates that agree with you the most.
Also be sure that you are watching the news and checking the facts and quotes you hear in stories. Some resources that can help you sort the truth from fiction include Politifact.com, FactCheck.org and WashingtonPost.com’s Fact Checker.
2. Realize that no candidate is perfect. It is highly unlikely that any of the presidential candidates are people who agree with you on all of the issues that are most important to you, but that does not mean that you will not find someone for whom you can feel good about voting. Even if your favorite contender ends up in the White House, he or she will still make mistakes. Do not look at the election as a battle between some heroic, flawless candidate and an evil villain who seeks to rain chaos over our nation; be realistic and realize that all the contenders seek to do good for America. It is up to you, the voter, to discern which of the candidates’ plans will do the most good.
3. Seek God’s wisdom. No, the Bible does not have anything to say directly about Obamacare or Afghanistan, but it can serve as a guide to some of the issues under debate. And you can always pray that God will guide you to the politician whose ideals are most in line with yours and will do the most good for America. Remember that there is no Bible verse that says, “Thou shalt vote for so-and-so,” but it does say that whoever does anything against his or her conscience sins. So do not vote in the name of peer pressure; vote in the name of God, and pray that His will be done through whoever sits in the Oval Office next January.
