‘By arming ourselves with facts and testing those facts against prayerful reflection and biblical values, we can be assured that we have made informed choices and carried out our duty, regardless of the outcome’
October 10, 2022
TUPELO, Miss. — Many voters are asking whether their votes make a difference in the grand scheme of American politics. With 333 million people in America, does one vote really make a difference?
Debbie Wuthnow, president of iVoterGuide (ivoterguide.com), the nation’s premier Christian voting guide, is passionate about educating and equipping Americans about the power of voting for the candidates that best represent their personal ideologies. iVoterGuide provides millions of voters with candidate information not featured in other guides in order to give Americans all the information necessary to vote based on their own values and for what is best for the United States of America.
Wuthnow wrote about the importance of voting, in her recent op-ed, ‘Why Should I Vote?’
Wuthnow stated, “I receive these questions many times for various reasons in my line of work: Who says you should vote? Does it make a difference? What if you don’t like the choice of candidates; should you still vote? As the General Election approaches on November 8, these questions are even more relevant. From Scriptures to civics and family legacies, there are many reasons why it’s vital for Americans to vote.
“First, Scripture reveals what government should look like. The Bible tells us that God ordained civil government to be His servant for our good (Romans 13:1-4). Conversely, when government does not serve its God-given purpose, the nation tends toward corruption. The influence of Israel’s kings on the people’s behavior is a prime example. In Proverbs 14:34, we see that ‘righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.’
“How do people take part in making a nation righteous? By being salt and light — ‘You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.’”(Matthew 5:13)
“One of the ways people can be salt to flavor and even preserve the world is to influence those who manage our government by participating in the election process and voting. When eligible voters choose not to vote, they walk away from our chance to make a difference.”
Wuthnow continued, “Looking outside of biblical references, elected officials determine laws that affect us — whether we vote or not — and those laws affect our ability to live out our beliefs.
“Almost every week, a new headline reminds me how the actions of an elected government official — or someone in government who was appointed by an elected official — affects our freedom to live according to our faith. We live with the choices that are made in elections, and the best time and place to stop bad policy is at the ballot box on Election Day. Even if there is not a great choice between the candidates (which is why primary elections are important), every vote can still slow the overall decline of our country. It takes patience and perseverance.”
Wuthnow continued, “In recent years, many elections have been decided by the slimmest of margins. One only needs to look at the U.S. Senate Republican primary in Pennsylvania this year, where the winning candidate was decided by less than 1,000 votes. Or consider a U.S. House race in Iowa in 2020, where the margin of victory was a mere six votes! Those six people who voted made a huge difference in the future of their state. Such slim margins are even more common in local races. We can’t leave our future to chance. Every vote matters.
“It all comes down to this — we impact future generations. Our children and our children’s children are impacted by how we vote and by the actions taken by officials we elect — or by judges appointed by elected officials. Whatever the reason for voting, it all comes down to duty. Our nation was born from stout-hearted patriots who knew their duty and did it, even when the odds were against them. So even when there are concerns about the integrity of the election process, there is still a civic responsibility to vote. By arming ourselves with facts and testing those facts against prayerful reflection and biblical values, we can be assured that we have made informed choices and carried out our duty, regardless of the outcome.”
iVoterGuide is dedicated to equipping Americans to be informed, educated voters. iVoterGuide is a one-stop resource for candidate ratings and election information. iVoterGuide is known for its accuracy and integrity in researching and evaluating candidates and equipping Christians to vote wisely and be good stewards of their citizenship.
In 2022, iVoterGuide’s expert researchers will give an in-depth analysis—and overall rating—from a Christian and conservative perspective for 12,000+ candidates nationwide. Additionally, iVoterGuide offers election dates, registration deadlines, polling locations, and other information needed to help Americans vote wisely and identify candidates on the ballot who share their values. Related tools are also available to inform family, neighbors, and business associates about getting their own personalized ballots. iVoterGuide is helping to restore the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and traditional American values.
View the media page for iVoterGuide here. For more information on iVoterGuide, visit ivoterguide.com or follow iVoterGuide on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
