Don't Vote Straight Party; Use Your Logic — Kimberly Cauble Photography

logic - the systematic study of the rules and principles used to distinguish correct reasoning from incorrect reasoning

I absolutely hate politics. The older I have gotten, the more I have realized how much of our nation, state, and even local communities and school boards are controlled by politics, corruption, and money. I hate the months leading up to elections and having to listen to/watch the constant campaign commercials and mudslinging. I will delete and report as spam ANY candidate who decides to send me those obnoxious campaign text messages! Maybe it’s because I taught ELA for so long, but I am not just going to take some random text, mailer, or commercial’s word for it—if I am going to decide to vote for you, I am going to do my own research and make sure the sources I use are credible. Then I will decide who I prefer.

And don’t get me started on political parties. These days, if you are a thinking person, it’s virtually impossible to claim to be Republican or Democrat. Those titles used to hold meaning, but not since I was a youngster. My personal values don’t align completely with either party anymore, so I consider myself a “freelance” voter who will sometimes vote for Republican, Democrat, or even independent candidates, depending on their ideologies and political power. Yet I have so many friends and acquaintances who choose to vote straight party, regardless of a candidate’s record, ethics, or personal morality.

Here are my thoughts on how we should all approach voting. (I promise I am not going to tell you who to vote for, just some tips about using simple logic to help yourself make the best decisions for you and your family.) If you’re a new voter, this is for you, and if you’re a seasoned voter, maybe I can help you think twice about your choices.

Choose Carefully When Voting in Primaries

Voters don’t always participate in primary elections, but they are often the most important elections. This is where we choose the candidates who are going to represent each party in the general election. However, you cannot vote in both parties’ elections; you have to choose to vote in either the Republican or Democrat primary. This is where I personally struggle most, because sometimes I want to vote for (or against) people in both! But you have to make a choice. So make sure the party you align yourself with in the primary is where you want to do the most decision-making.

A group of teachers wearing red and holding signs stand in front of the SC State House in May of 2019, rallying for better public education. — I attended the SCforEd Rally at the SC State House back in 2019. It was amazing to see so many teachers there supporting our public schools! It’s the closest I have ever come to “getting political.” But unfortunately, if you want to make changes in how our government runs, you have to get political and VOTE.

Do Your Research BEFORE You Get to the Poll

Find out who and what is on the ballot before you go vote. I can’t tell you how many times I have gotten to the poll and realized I was uninformed about all of the political races or verbose and convoluted questions that would show up on the ballot. A quick Google search like “sample ballot for [your state] election on [month day, year]” can help you pull up a sample ballot from which to do some research.

Don't Vote Straight Party in the General Election; Use Your Brain

It’s tempting to vote straight party when most of the candidates you align with are from the same party, but before you do that—look up all of the individual candidates. A simple Google search like “what’s the difference between X and Y in the [ your state] election” can give you lots of insight into what they believe and how they might vote on issues that are important to you. Just because they are part of a specific party may not mean that you agree with their stance on certain issues.

Before you jump to a decision just because candidates align themselves with a particular party or make blanket statements in a commercial or text message, make sure they will actually have the political power to impact that issue before you decide to vote for or against them.

For example, and this is just one, many of my Christian friends vote through a conservative lens with the abortion issue at the forefront of their minds. However, not every politician running for office has decision-making power when it comes to abortion. A state superintendent of education candidate may say that they are pro-choice, but their position and power is focused on education, not helping create or vote on legislation for or against abortion. They have absolutely no decision-making power when it comes to this issue. So why is that the only thing some people seem to consider? When you are looking at a candidate, it’s important to make sure their values align with yours, but also to consider who might do the best job in a specific position with specific powers, regardless of certain platforms or party alignment. I have noticed that many of the pro-life candidates seem to curtail their concern for children once a child is born (at least where funding is considered). I have never understood candidates wanting to protect a life while it is growing in the womb, yet writing/sponsoring/voting for legislation that reduces funding and access to affordable and quality health care, early education intervention, and strong public schools. So my question is not always who is going to save the life of the unborn child, but who is going to care about and support children throughout their entire lives, from conception through their college/career plans? (And unfortunately, there are not many who will support legislation that does all of these things, hence the struggle I often have in deciding who to vote for!)

For those of you who read that last paragraph and want to come at me about what Scripture says, I know. I have read the Bible through multiple times and am a follower of Jesus. But instead of asking what a particular political party stands for to decide my vote, I ask myself how Jesus would respond, based on what I know about Him and God’s Word and character, and what an individual candidate stands for based on their behavior and record. That’s why I can’t realistically claim either of the two big political parties, because I honestly don’t think either gets it right. They are led by humans, after all, and I prefer to follow the lead of Christ. Just because someone says they are Republican does not make them a Christian, and just because someone says they are a Democrat doesn’t mean they are not. That’s why I prefer to look at the individual rather than the party alignment. And ultimately, I trust that whoever is placed in that position of authority is ultimately part of God’s plan…whether I understand it or not. (Romans 13:1)

Sometimes You May Need to Vote Against Someone Rather Than For Someone

I have often found myself having to decide between the lesser of two or three evils. In the last presidential election, I didn’t really align completely with ANY of the candidates. I couldn’t see myself voting FOR any of them. But instead of just not voting at all (which is what many of my politically exasperated friends did), I researched each candidate’s platform and figured out which one I disliked least, and I voted for that person to try to prevent the other from winning. Ultimately, no one candidate is going to be perfect…we just have to decide which ones line up as close to our values as possible.

Regardless of Your Feelings — VOTE!

Voting is our right and obligation as American citizens. If we have concerns and want to make changes in how our government runs things, we must participate in the election process. My stance has always been that you don’t have a right to complain about anything if you didn’t vote to begin with. Democracy only works if citizens make their voices heard! If you want local changes, be sure to vote in your local elections for county council members, school board members, etc. If you want things in your state to change, do your research about the state legislators and vote for who you think will do the best job in those positions. If you want to see changes in how our federal government runs, exercise your right and vote for president, representatives, and senators. But by all means—vote!