November 6, 2007...9:41 am
Why I am Not Voting Today
This should come as a shock to some of my friends, mostly those who know me from my days in the realm of journalism and public policy, but I’m not voting today. It’s Election Day here in Kentucky and I am not voting. It’s not that I don’t value my right to vote, instead it’s because I value my right and what goes into the decisions for an accurate vote as to why I am opting out this election.
I believe than the electorate should be educated enough to make a sound decisions regarding the choices they make in the polling booth. I’ll admit that not always am I am the most intelligent voter and have made some choices based solely on “hey, I saw their sign.” Some of my friends would tell you that my most intelligent votes came in 2000 and 2004 when I voted for George W. Bush, however that’s another story.
Today in Kentucky, residents are voting for a governor and other statewide offices. The choice for governor is between incumbent Republican Ernie Fletcher and former Lt. Governor and Democrat Steve Beshear. Neither candidate has proven themselves to me, this new Kentuckian. However, I feel that not knowing enough about the candidates and the issues in this state, it was best to sit this one out.
So whom would I have voted for had I decided to vote?
Most likely the Democrat Steve Beshear. Not because I’m in favor of his issues. I believe his support for casino gambling and some of his other statements make it hard to support him. However, my vote would have been more against Fletcher than anything else. Fletcher, whom as governor, pardoned himself and his entire staff after several ethic violations were uncovered. Fletcher, whom when the polls were tipping the other way, used the Ten Commandments as his own political agenda, circulating campaign ads in the final days of the campaign about the Ten Commandments and even moving a copy of the document back into the State Capitol after it had been removed.
I value the Ten Commandments enough to get tired of it being used as a political agenda tool. Sorry, folks, but God didn’t intend for the Ten Commandments to be used to justify political arguments.
So, I’m sitting this one out. It doesn’t make me a bad American or a poor supporter of the electoral process. Instead, I chose not to vote because I value my vote enough that when I vote for someone that I want to know that this is the person that I can place my integrity and my support behind.
I can’t do that with either candidate this time around.
3 Comments
November 6, 2007 at 10:05 am
Hi,
this is a very interesting blog. A wide range of topics and views, articles all wonderfully written.
On the most recent article: I admire your stance. But it could be worse. You could be living in the UK where our current ‘leaders’ seem intent on destroying that part of the UK which is currently called England, and handing it over to the ‘anything goes’ school of morality.
I also admire your religious conviction and faith - Christianity is becoming unfashionable in the western world it seems. But I have to admit that I am of the belief that if there is a God, and he is indeed merciful, then the non-believer who tries to live a moral life despite not believing in an afterlife, is unlikely to be be denied Heaven.
Regards
Ted
November 6, 2007 at 10:12 am
Ted,
Thanks for your comments and your appreciations. Hope you come back and visit again.
Just with the little understanding that I have of the British political scene, I’ll have to defer to you on what is going on over there. Though I will take to your last position regarding God and the non-believer, the Bible is quite clear - as is Christian teachings - that the only way to Heaven is through belief in Christ Jesus. As Jesus says, only he knows the Father and no one knows the Father except through him. Entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven without this belief in Jesus would be impossible.
Of course, this raises some interesting questions as to what does it mean to believe in Christ (which I believe means living out a transformative life in his grace and love). Yes, God loves the unbeliever as should all Christians, but I believe he also desires love and our obedience.
Peace,
Shannon
November 9, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I didn’t vote in the local elections here. I do have to change my registration from Chapel Hill, where as a GOP voter I was a drop in the bucket, to Guilford County where there are a few more on the right side of the fence.
I am going to change my registration by the primary election in the spring, but my hunch is that by then the primaries will be decided.
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