The midterms are here for many of us and many of us are getting out to vote, and I’m here to say, stop voting with your emotions and going in uninformed/misinformed. Now, before you panic, I’m not telling you who to vote for. I’m not trying to influence you to pick one side of another. But I want you to go into voting with information and a sound mind.
Voting, Politics, Social Justice, Propaganda, Emotions, Division, and Idols
Kind of an intense headline, but all of those are so prevalent in our everyday life and these things are what influence what is happening today. And I don’t know if you noticed, but what’s going on today is absolutely crazy.
- Constitution Being Ignored
- Political Attacks
- War
- Rumors of War
- Inflation/Shrinkflation
- Recession/Depression
- Division Amongst People and States
- Civil War
- Pandemics
- Shortages
- Gas Prices
There is a lot more going on, and the list can go on…and on….and on. These are things we can’t ignore as we are going into one of the most important elections of our time. Depending on how we vote can have very long-lasting effects that won’t just affect us, but our children and their children.
Influences On Voting
People are easily manipulated as we have seen throughout the years, and the header above mentions all the things that influence people when it comes to voting. So I won’t write the list again. But one of the biggest ways politicians manipulate us is through our emotions.
Suddenly everyone is (insert whatever popular ism or phobe) and out to get you and your family. The opposite party is literally Hitler reincarnated and if you vote for them then you’re (insert name calling).
You’ll find that there are a lot more news stories condemning each party and their voters and making outrages claims in the hopes that you’ll vote for whichever party signs their paychecks and gives them the most power.
That and today you’ll find that politics are one of the biggest idols in peoples lives. It’s like politics and social politics have literally become some people’s personalities. If you’re not a die hard fan of one side and only one side then you’re a traitor, or enemy, or whatever. This tribalism has created a huge divide when it comes to politics and has created a huge divide in this nation.
And if that isn’t bad enough there are open attacks, on both sides, when it comes to threatening, hurting, and even killing people that have different beliefs. It’s a sad and horrifying reality.
Go Into Voting With A Sound Mind
Voting shouldn’t just be an emotional thing. We shouldn’t allow our emotions to run wild to begin with. (Ephesians 4:26-32) When it comes to voting we need a lot of prayer, quite a bit of logic, and a bit of emotion. We’re not robots after all. So, how can we make sure we’re making good choices when voting?
1. Pray Before You Do Your Research and Before You Vote
I think most of us here are Christians or believe in God and praying should be the bedrock of any decision you make, may it be big or small. We need to pray for wisdom, guidance, a listening heart, and for God to guide us in the right direction when it comes to voting.
2. Do Your Research Before You Vote
Before you go to vote, do some research. There should be quite a bit of research done before you make it to the voting booth.
- And this means watching the news. By that I don’t just mean your parties favored news sources like CNN or Fox. I mean get out of your echo chamber and listen to the news from both sides and even an independent side to get to know your candidates.
- Look at their voting background and what they’ve said about important topics not just this year or last year, but for the last few years.
- Look at their websites and see if their beliefs actually line up with yours. Most candidates have websites that have all their beliefs on major issues written out.
- Listen to talk shows they’ve been on or any articles they’ve written. You’ll see a lot of times politicians will say a lot of things on talk shows and interviews that they won’t say during campaign speeches or news interviews.
3. Have An Open Mind and Listen To Ideals That Oppose Yours Before You Vote
This one is hard for a lot of people, but you know, more people need to be doing it. We have a tendency when it comes to voting to just choose someone from out political party without even looking at the other side. But we need to start voting for the person and stop voting for the party. Look at candidates from BOTH sides of the spectrum and see their ideals and where they line up.
Doing complete research on each candidate, not just listening to the propaganda on the news or social media.
New ideas may be hard to listen to, different beliefs may make us uncomfortable, but at the end of the day listening to new ideas and beliefs and debating is what creates change and innovation.
4. Focus On What Is Most Important To You And Your Family When It Comes To Voting
We need to start focusing on what direction this country is going in. Because right now it’s going down. We have two very different factions who want two very different things and it is going to destroy us in the end if we can’t decide in a direction.
It’s like two sides pulling and what happens when you pull something from both ends? It tears, and we’re getting close to that.
We have to start focusing on real topics and not just feelings and social politics. The top priorities of most voters right now are the:
- Economy
- Inflation
- Abortion
- Immigration
- Crime
Those are the top 5 topics with the Economy and Inflation 3-5 times higher a concern than any other topic. Are these topics most important to you? If not, you need to look at the politicians and their voting records to see where they actually line up with what’s most important to you.
What’s Most Important To Me This Election
The things that are highest on my list are things I think everyone is worrying about.
First and foremost, the economy. Y’all, gas is ridiculously expensive, we’re apparently about to run out of diesel, the cost of energy, and living have gone up. And what are y’all’s grocery bills like? Mine have doubled, sometimes tripled. Grant it, for health reasons I have to have a special diet, but almost $7 for red potatoes?! Almost $5 for eggs?!
I don’t know what direction this economy is going, right now obviously down, but people are struggling to survive and eat.
Immigration is also important to me living in a border state. I’ve seen the effects it has had on border towns and the local cities as crime has skyrocketed. No, before anyone comes at me, I’m not saying everyone who comes over is a criminal, but people from other countries do not hold the same ideals when it comes to morals as we do. There are cultural differences, and there are some bad people as well.
Crime is another concern. I don’t want to see more riots and politicians openly supporting and fueling them. They’ve defunded police in areas, ran out good cops, and the good cops that are left are tired. When all the good police leave, who does that leave you with? Plus, we’ve watched the FBI and their corruption in recent days and political attacks and senseless violence have become more commonplace.
I’m concerned with what is being taught at schools. I don’t like the heavy propaganda, wokeness, and social politics, and sexual stuff that has been bleeding over into our children’s education. They need to learn math, literature, grammar, science, and history. Keep the other stuff out.
Lastly would be gun laws. Yes, there have been some nasty shootings, but taking away guns from good people and making it harder for good people is not the solution. Solution needs to stem from the home and community, not more laws that make it easier for criminals to run rampant and innocent people defenseless.
Get Out And Vote!
Tomorrow is election day! If you didn’t vote early, then make sure you get out and vote. Polls may look good or maybe they look bad depending on your political affiliation. But get out and vote. It’s inconvenient, yes, no one likes standing in line, but it is so important to do this year!