On this Election Day, I Abstain

There was a time when I participated in the American election process because I thought it was the right thing to do. I thought voting was a privilege and that my vote mattered. But that time is no more.

I have come to realize several things, which now cause me to entirely abstain from the process.

1 – To cast a vote in an election is to consent to abide by that election’s outcome, regardless of one’s personal choice.

If there are only morally upright candidates in the running, which in my book means those who are God-fearing, family-valuing, freedom-embracing, truth-seeking & righteous-living to the best of their understanding & ability, then the election’s outcome, regardless of my personal choice, would at least produce a morally upright winner.

But if not all the candidates were such — if there was a mix of good & bad characters, or worse yet, a whole slate of bad characters, then the election’s outcome could produce a winner that is not morally upright, and I would not be able to abide by that outcome. Therefore, I would abstain.

There was a time when I thought an election with a mixed bag of moral uprightness among the candidates should compel one to get out and vote the good guy in, but that was when I had faith in the election’s integrity, which I no longer have. (I’ll address that further in my second point.)

Choosing the Lesser of Two Evils

When it comes to a pool of only compromised candidates, and the voter is expected to choose the lesser of two evils, which is where I believe we’ve been for many election cycles now, an argument is often made to justify the participation of the morally upright voter.

The argument goes: by choosing the lesser of two evils, one could stave off greater demise long enough until the next election cycle where the hope of a worthy replacement being employed to right what was wronged exists.

However, given recent history, with every replacement that has come thus far, the greatest wrongs have never been corrected. They remain. Still, one can always hope it will be better next time, right?

In a perfect world (aka a just system), I could see where that hope might be warranted, but the American election process is not only imperfect, it is far from just.

The following is just one overarching point to demonstrate this lack of justice.

2 – To have a fair & reasonable election, voting members must be qualified to cast a vote.

Voters must be morally upright, share a common lot in life, and apply the same voting standard.

Furthermore, voters must be aware of:

• who each of the candidates are,
• what the positions are & their respective duties, for which the candidates are being considered, and
• what experience, knowledge & understanding, and strengths & weaknesses each candidate holds that qualifies them for their desired positions.

In other words, voters must be informed.

Without these voter qualifications then the election process is worthless.

A. The process of an election involves the counting of votes.

When the above requirements are not met, opposing moral agents (good vs evil) & opposing lots (such as country land-owners vs city apartment-dwellers) cancel each other’s vote out. Only the votes of the majority of each shared morality & of each shared lot “count”.

B. The purpose of an election is to assign authority & power to individuals to perform specific roles & tasks.

If there is diversity in standards by which this remaining pool of voters cast their decision, the election is no longer about choosing the most worthy candidate for the job. It simply becomes a popularity contest with each candidate attempting to meet as many of the voters’ standards as possible to assure a win.

(Most certainly, the standards by which people vote these days are extremely diverse.)

C. Decision-makers need accurate & meaningful information to make sound decisions.

I like to think there was a time in this country when we had a “free press”, where there was a loose institution of objective journalists & reporters who acted in the best interest of the people — who had moral integrity and were truthful, competent & objective in their investigation & reporting.

It was through these channels political candidates could be made known to the public. The candidates could be scrutinized and fairly represented. But that is not the case today.

Lies are continually being told unchecked and truth is continually being covered up. Mass deception has become widespread.

Back room deals are made, private agendas are being carried out & the people are left to fend for themselves in mining facts & agendas concerning each candidate.

Given all of this (and more), I see no reason to believe the election process in this country today is just. (I didn’t even mention the process in choosing the candidates to appear on the ballot.)

The American government is no longer about serving the people. It has, by and large, become self-serving and predominantly all about ruling the people.

Therefore, I believe the HOPE for turning things around WITHIN this corrupted unjust system IS GONE.

Our Only Hope

The ONLY HOPE, I believe, for saving this nation is for this nation’s morally upright inhabitants to abandon the State and govern themselves first & foremost, and then, to voluntarily serve their fellow man.

Sadly, the American System has made most of America weak. But when we individually exit that System & figure out how to live independently on the Land, and we network with one another in support, then we as a united body will be made strong again — a force to be reckoned with.

In the meantime, our Creator’s ways will continue to stand & essentially fight for the continuation of life on the land.

I believe those who are standing in opposition to the Creator will ultimately fall, and we, who remain faithful to the Creator’s ways will be the last man standing. We will then eventually inherit this land, unencumbered.

Therefore, on this Election Day I abstain.

And, I will continue to exercise my personal authority, power & dominion to govern my own affairs. I pray others will do the same.

How about you? What do you think about all this? I understand this is a touchy subject, but I’m genuinely interested in hearing your perspective. Please share your thoughts below.