Why Christians Should Vote Their Conscience

I'm impressed by the amount of rhetoric, good and bad, being posited in the blogosphere concerning tomorrow's USAmerica Elections (MeanDean @ b4G on "why all Christians should vote for Bush", among others). Since turning 18 in 1986, I've always voted - not alot of people can say that. I've tended to be conservative, and that's meant tending to vote Republican. I don't know if I've ever voted for a Democrat - but at the same time, I've never just checked "straight party" either. Now here we stand at the eighteenth anniversary of that first election after my eighteenth birthday, and I'm going to vote again.

I am going to vote my conscience. I am going to vote my idealism. I am going to vote for the person most closely aligned to what I believe should be the ideals and beliefs of a strong leader for our country.

I am going to vote for: NULL.

My ballot will contain an undervote. Do not look for a hanging or pregnant chad on my electronic ballot. I mean to do that.

I will be leaving the slot for "PRESIDENT" blank. I have done it in other races in that past, not knowing anything about candidates for County Coroner or leaving a slot blank if there are more openings for School Board than I know. It is my right as a citizen to conscientiously tell the parties and the candidates that there is still much more to do, still too much division, still too much inactivity and partisan bickering and passing the buck on all sides.

I am tired of being statistically sorted into the group of white Christian southern professionals who will vote with the evangelical block and stand for gun rights and less government. I have a hard time voting for "the lesser of two evils", knowing it's still "evil" and that it's lesser but not positive yet. I think it will take a stronger leader, a better reformer, a more congenial and unifying force in the Oval Office to truly bring this country together. That's probably the only thing that will bring us to a real leadership in the world, too - someone who will avoid all appearances of evil, who will not bow down to folks even within his own party, and who will not only reach across the aisle, but who might straddle that aisle for the good of the country if it's the right thing to do.

Don't tell me that if I don't vote I can't complain. Bull hockey - when does complaing do any good anyway? And don't tell me that not voting is a vote for the winner - that's bad math, bad statistics and just not true. I want someone to take a stat on the people who do not vote at all, and find out WHY people would go to the trouble of visiting their precinct's polling place and casting an empty ballot to say, "None of you guys inspired me to be an American today!"

Should "all Christians vote like Rick"? No - not unless you're tired of this rigamorole like I am. Don't just settle for a candidate. Let each person, beyond the two major parties to the other party candidates, too, inspire you to not only vote for them but to run for them, to argue for them, to fight for them. If you can't do that for "your man" - I encourage you to not vote in that race. Go to the polls, vote where you can, leave the non-inspiring races blank, and then let someone else know what you've done. Write a letter to the editor, or post a message on your own site about how something needs to change. Vote with your whole heart, just like every other area of your life devoted to Christ. That's what I'll be doing, for better or for worse.

You've got about 40 hours to change my mind.