Register to Vote and Vote

The 2013 Virginia General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 5. I live in Virginia so this is relevant to where I live. I’ve been a registered voter for years in the various places I lived. This past year, I relocated from PA to VA and I filled out a new Voter Registration form which is conveniently available through the DMV. This is how I received the form; when I had to get a new driver’s license, vehicle registration, etc.. Then six months later I relocated to another county and I filled out a new Voter Registration form to accurately identify my residential address and allow me to vote closer to where I currently live.

If you are a US Citizen and 18 years old or older I encourage you to be a registered voter and to vote in US elections. I believe citizens should vote. I believe Christians should vote. Being a voter is one way to allow your voice to be heard about issues in your community and beyond. Your vote can make a difference.

Here are the local and state positions for election in the upcoming VA General Election:

- Governor

- Lieutenant Governor

- Attorney General

- House of Delegates (22nd & 23rd Districts that cover the Lynchburg area)

- local offices:

- Commissioner of Revenue

- Commonwealth Attorney

- Sheriff

- Treasurer

 

You can research over the internet, look at some newspapers, make some phone calls to learn more about these positions and who is running for them. And if you look hard enough you can learn about where many of the candidates stand on big issues and moral issues which can factor into who you vote for.

God’s Word doesn’t give us any commands or qualifications regarding who to vote for in human government but there are lots of commands and principles for various moral issues that overlap with elected officials’ influence and decision making which is why I lean towards candidates that most align with my biblical values on those issues.

If you don’t like any of the candidates, they are not likely totally equal across the board. So, if you don’t vote, then your non-action favors the candidate you think lesser of. In other words, if you don’t vote then you are okay with the lesser candidate in your eyes.

God’s Word teaches us that God establishes governments, is sovereign over them, and uses them for His divine purposes and we are to pray for such leaders whether they are Christians or not. The US government is not a Christian government. It’s a reflection of our country, a mixed bag of beliefs. There are not always mature Christian political candidates to choose from but God is still sovereign and still works His purposes. Consider what it must have been like for the early Christians living under Rome’s rule, or to be a Christian in Nazi Germany or in some closed-to-Christianity nation today. Christians are biblically called by God to submit to our governing authorities (e.g. Rom. 13) except when there is contradiction to God’s Word for His people today.

Another thing to consider is if you are temporarily living away from where you are registered to vote. For example, I work with a lot of young adult college students whose permanent (parent’s) residences are out of state or across state. If you are in a similar situation in the US you can often vote with an absentee ballot form for where your permanent residence is but is this relevant to where you currently live when it comes to voting? You have the option to fill out the section of the Voter Registration form that switches your voter registration location to where you live most of this year. You decide.

I am thankful that US citizens have the freedom and right to vote in this nation and I plan to exercise that right on Tuesday, 11/5. I don’t tell anyone who to vote for. I am prayerfully asking God to give me relevant knowledge, discernment, wisdom, and faith about who to vote for. And I’m trusting God through the outcome of the election and how it impacts the future of the community I live in, as well as the state, and beyond. I ask you to pray something similar regarding your own voting decisions.

The deadline to register to vote for this November election is 10/15. Are you registered to vote, prepared to vote, and are you planning to vote in the next election?

Mike