Who Should You Vote for?

In Illinois, the primary election is less than two weeks away. Election signs are just starting to crop up. Commercials are starting to air. The political season has arrived.

As a pastor, I am often asked about voting and candidates and the political process. People will ask me whom I'm voting for or what I thought about the recent debates. They will pose questions about picking the best candidate and how to determine that.

As a pastor, I am very honest about my choice. And I'll be honest now when I say I'm not totally sold on any one candidate. I am evaluating my choices and probably won't have a final decision until the day of the primary.

But my process and my recommendation is always the same. Research the candidates for office. Don't just watch the commercials or believe the rhetoric. Don't blindly believe all the shots the politicians take. Spend time reading about each candidate and learning their positions on important issues. That's what matters when we, as Christians, step into the voting booth.

Now, I know that will take work and effort. But if the election is as important as I believe it is, isn't 30 minutes or so of research worth it to make the right decisions on election day. And let's face it, we will easily spend that amount of time reading about our favorite teams or athletes or movie stars or television shows or hobbies. I know men who can spend hours in a Bass Pro Shop and women who spend the day in shopping malls.  Isn't our election more important than that?

By the way, this isn't limited in scope to the presidential race. While I believe that race to be an important one, so are the races for the U. S House of Representatives, the U. S. Senate and the various local and state races. We should never go into the voting booth and blindly pick a person to lead our community, state and nation. We need to take time to learn about these men and women.

To do so, there are many places to look. Start with the candidates websites.  Consult voter's guides, many of which are available at your local churches. (We have some here at Glasford.) Gather as much information as you can about the issues that matter: life, religious freedom, terrorism, etc. Don't vote based on an emotion or a feeling or a commercial. Vote based on the issues and who best represents your life.

For me that answer is tied up in Jesus. Who best represents him? No candidate is perfect, just as no person is perfect. But we are called to elect imperfect people. As such, you and I must choose wisely.

So do your duty. Go to the polls. Choose a Godly man or woman to represent you. Just don't do it blindly. And don't expect them to solve all your problems. (But that's a blog for another day...)

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