What's a voter to do?
Have you ever taken the time to write down your core principles or values? What are the guiding principles that determine what’s right and wrong for you and your family? What are your house rules? What are your non-negotiables?
Taking the time to write down our core values is invaluable! This written record is vital when we have life-changing, life-impacting decisions to make. You know, the kind of decisions that keep us up at night. The kind of decisions that move us to make pros and cons lists. Or perhaps go so far as to do a SWOT analysis. Decisions so important that we have no choice but to put in the time it takes to understand the short and long term impact of our decision for ourselves, those we love, and all who will be impacted by our decision.
Friends, we have a big decision coming up in November. We have lots of information being thrown at us and most of it is filtered through the agenda and core values of others. It’s time to pull out our written core values (or take time to write them out) and sit down to do a well thought out pros and cons list or a detailed SWOT analysis because facts matter!
Make no mistake, finding the facts will take time. We’d better start now so that when election day comes we can make well-informed decisions based on the policies (platform) that best line up with our core values (policies/platform). Below are links to the policies/platform for each political party (same as 2016). I encourage you to print them out, mark, highlight, list the pros and cons of each platform based on your core values and what’s important to you, your family, and cast the vision for the America you want to live in.
Then, take time to evaluate the performance of your political party nationwide. Are they effectively implementing their policies and if so, how is that working or what does it look like in the lives and communities across America in real-time? Is it painting the picture or realizing the vision of the America you imagined and want?
Finally, take time to separate policy or platform from personality. Don’t shoot me, but I think doing this is going to require yet another pro/con list. Why? Sadly, and unfortunately, and in my opinion, it won’t take long to get a long con list going for many of those on ballots this fall. The pro list is going to take more time because we are going to have to do a little more digging to discover how the personalities are performing against the platform/policy promises they made and on which they stand. What have the people in each party accomplished concerning their party’s policies in the time they have been in their leadership role?
Honestly, I find it very difficult to put my faith and trust in any personality (politician). So what is a voter to do when you can’t back a personality and yet your vote really matters? My best answer to myself is, focus on the policies of each party and the implementation of policies.
As I gather my facts and make my lists, here’s my action plan:
Pray every step of the way
Affirm that my core values will drive my decisions
Understand the policies/platforms of each party
Measure party performance city, state, and national levels
Vote for the party (not personality) that best represents my core values
Please, let’s each put in the time it is going to take because the America you and I want for ourselves and our families is in our hands. This is where we get to decide what is important to us and which party platform best represents our core values.
