Get Out and Vote!

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln

We are a week from Election Day and the frenzied attempt by both parties to win next week is everywhere: TV and radio spots, signs on every street corner, mailboxes filled with candidate mailers, phone calls designed to encourage you to vote, pundits projecting victory. By this time in an election season, most people can hardly wait for the day after the election. I believe President Lincoln was correct in his assessment of a man’s character. It has been said that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. We certainly have evidence of the corruption in Washington as we see Congressional leaders hauled off to prison. However, does that mean we just give up? Do we stay home on Election Day because they are all just a bunch of bums? Does our vote count? Many elected good men and women serve us each day, unwilling to compromise their beliefs. They are being challenged with rhetoric intended to turn off voters and suppress the vote since voter turnout is key in any election. To illustrate, low voter turnout means that potentially only 15% of an entire state population would elect a candidate if turnout was 30%. We then have our leaders chosen by a small minority. I am a firm believer that if you are going to complain about a problem then you need to be willing to roll up your sleeves and be part of the solution. Casting your vote on Election Day is a first step. Be informed not inflamed by the choices presented. What are your key issues? Judge selection? Lower taxes? Choosing life? Immigration? The war? Pray before you head off to the polls for wisdom remembering that He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world. “But true wisdom and power are found in God; counsel and understanding are his.” Job 12:13 (NLT)