From the Pastor…     Principled Voting

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost. — John Quincy Adams

Every four years, the political noise surrounding the U.S. presidential campaign is deafening.  I’m sure the media outlets love it as it gives them a horse race to tout, analyze (to death), and boost ratings.  And yet there are many local and state elections, especially in Virginia, which has a voting schedule offset from other states, resulting in a continuous stream of elections.

There are many reasons people vote the way they do.  Some see a party label and just go with that candidate.  That’s understandable, because it’s easy. – Others go with personality issues. – Some analyze position statements and select based on that. – Still others are simply voting against a candidate they oppose or don’t like. – And still others vote for the person they think has the best chance of winning.

I like Adams’ quote above because I try (emphasis on try) to vote for principle.  It doesn’t matter to me what the polls say about who is ahead or far behind.  I’m going to vote for the person I feel should be president, senator, congressional representative, supervisor, dog-catcher, or whatever.  Of course, I don’t have perfect knowledge about him/her, just what can be gleaned from media sources and campaign positions, but I try… to vote principle.

If you don’t care or can’t be bothered, that is your right.  But I hope you vote.  It’s a great privilege, and the better informed each of us are, the better. – As you probably know, in our state voters aren’t registered by parties and anyone can vote in any primary.  See you at the polls!

                 God’s best to you today,     

                                  Lee