Election time is here again. The question is: are you completely sure and comfortable with your voting decision? Early voting started on Oct. 17 and ends on Nov. 4. Election Day is Nov. 8. Unless you’re some kind of hermit or an extreme introvert who never talks to anyone about the news, you know these dates already. You know what time it is; you know that all of the campaigning, all of the debating, leads up to these next few weeks, and the next president of the United States.
However, the final decision made in each of our minds of who we actually trust to be in this position can be quite the process. At least, for some of us, picking the person that we will end up voting for is quite a time-consuming undertaking. We go through our mental Rolodex and bring back to memory all of the news surrounding the campaigns and what it is that the candidates seem to stand for.
Though we have voted before and find no reason to be stressed by the presidential polls (it is not like we are running for the Oval Office), we try to remember that America’s future lies in the balance. We must be reminded that voting for the president of the United States, whether we believe it or not, is no small and insignificant task.
I have thought time and time again that it is a waste of my time to go and stand in line and check by the name of the Democrat or Republican running for the title of Commander-in-Chief. Now, I write Democrat or Republican because we all know that most Americans tend to dismiss third party candidates, whether they are Libertarian Party, Green Party, Constitution Party, etc. It is unfortunate that third party candidates are dismissed so easily. In the past, I had tended to dismiss them because I did not know who they were and I never felt the need to look them up. These parties tend to not have the same kind of money as the two more well-known parties have, therefore, they might not be able to put advertisements out and travel as much to put their names out there.
Regardless, it is important that we as Americans know about ALL of the candidates out there. I wonder if we (the voters) have short-changed ourselves because we have been coached (possibly) to believe that our only choices or our main choices are the ones that appear on the television the most. Do people even know about the independent presidential candidates running? (I am not going to condemn anyone about this question because I just caught a couple of names myself, a few moments ago, as I wrote this piece.)
Also, besides the fact that there are many candidates, do people even really think about why it is that they are voting? I cannot tell you how many times I have heard: “Well, my daddy was a supporter of this party, so I am voting this party!”
My friends, I am sorry, but that is poor logic. It is not reasonable to think that the same party that represented your parents is exactly the same in beliefs today. We all can look back at the history of the parties that are in existence today and find that many of them are not standing on the same platforms that they once did at their birth. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because times do change and those times may have called for a radical change in policies that are more practical for the times that we are living in. Moreover, sometimes political parties change based off of societal changes and new cultural norms emerging, which are not always a good thing.
Nonetheless, it is not even about the party’s changes; it is about whether you stand on the beliefs of that party today. Do you know the party’s current platforms? Do you see their beliefs matching up with your beliefs? Then, does the party’s nominated candidate actually stand on those same beliefs? Have you done your homework to see if this person has been consistent in what they believe or do they seem to go with wherever the political wind is taking them today?
It is highly doubtful that you will find a candidate that you agree with 100 percent. No one is perfect and we all may see something a tad different from even the very people that we live with and love. But it is important to know what you believe and where you stand on the issues if you are to vote for any person to be the leader of our country.
Why is it important? It is important to know what you believe because (if what you believe is the truth) you can be easily swayed to accept a lie, and a lie is never good, even if it is dressed up to look true. It is important to know where you stand on different issues because (if what you believe is true) an issue can be vitally important to the community in which you live, even if it has not personally touched your doorstep. It is important for you to vote because it is a right and a tradition. People have fought and died for us all to have this right, and we should want to play a part in the direction of this country, despite the very possibility that our country may decline into something that we are not happy about or standing in agreement with.
Voting is important because we get to show the next generation that we care about their future. We must try to stand and vote for what is true and right today, so that they may have an example of how to stand and vote for what is true and right tomorrow. Also, standing and voting for what is right and true today will not mean a thing if you and I do not live what is right and true.
Yes, it’s election time again. So, do your homework on the candidates and vote your conscious. Then, pray for our country and pray for the winner. The country will need it. The winner will need it.
Click here to listen to Mr. Danner interview Professor Pridemore and their discussion on politics and voting: https://jeromedanner.net/2016/10/14/episode-07-professor-frank-pridemore-interview-talking-politics-and-history/