Get ready to vote on November 5 Posted on October 28, 2024
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Rev. Glenn M. Wagner shares from his faith and experience about the importance of voting and ways to prepare for these decisions.
REV. GLENN M. WAGNER
Retired Pastor, Michigan Conference
Election Day is next Tuesday, November 5. Early voting began last Saturday in Michigan, and registered voters can vote at an official election site. Click to find your early voting location. Nonpartisan organizations and companies are offering free and discounted rides to the polls and early voting sites in several communities. Click to find a free ride. Eligible voters can still register but must do so in person. Click to learn more.
The Revolutionary War secured our privilege to vote and select people to make decisions about our governance. Since those early patriots died fighting for our right to representational self-governance, additional battles have been fought and won to secure equality and voting rights for formerly enslaved people, women, and all economic classes of American citizens. Many of us have American ancestors who have fought in wars to defend these freedoms, and some of us are currently employed in vocations that defend these freedoms.
My single ballot will be just one of millions cast in this upcoming election, but I know from experience that every vote matters. Here is some of what I have learned about the consequences of voting in my fifty-three years of voter eligibility.
Some candidates are more qualified than others.
When we elect persons for leadership who have the experience, training, ability, and integrity to do the job, the results of their labors on our behalf are often far better for the vast majority.
I recall an election for a state representative where the winner was a retired school superintendent who brought to his newly elected office over two decades of exemplary school leadership, advanced educational degrees, and an established reputation of community service with integrity. His tenure in elected office was similarly stellar. For three terms, his experienced leadership skills were positive for public education legislation across the state. He served the maximum number of terms and retired. He was succeeded in office by someone with far less training who had more money and a better ad campaign than the competition. Flashy ads do not necessarily translate into effective governance.
Elected officials often decide matters of enormous consequence.
Consider the vote taken on September 6, 2024, by the city council of Jurupa Valley, California. In a split decision, five council members voted 3-2 to approve a large new commercial development near one of the oldest known living trees on earth. The Jurupa Oak, which looks like a sprawling shrub, is estimated to be between 13,000 and 18,000 years old! Developers and contractors are happy with the new jobs the new construction will create. Environmentalists are aghast at the potential risk to the surrounding habitat for this irreplaceable natural treasure. Elected officials often make difficult decisions like these. This consequential decision hinged on a single vote from a local officeholder.
The work of governing all people is challenging and complex.
Making decisions that affect the lives and governance in a country of 333 million people is no easy task. People elected to federal offices make decisions that impact a significant population and help manage the critical labors of 2.95 million federal employees. Michigan state officials oversee the essential governmental work of over 54,000 state employees who serve the interests of Michigan’s 10.03 million people.
Our federal, state, and local officials work for our collective benefit, but many issues are contentious. People’s lives and livelihoods hang in the balance. Governmental decisions have ripple-effect consequences. Failure to enact gun control legislation may be good for gun sales and gun manufacturing, but there are also measurable horrific consequences experienced by the families of victims of gun violence. Legislation around issues of reproductive rights is similarly consequential. Scientists worldwide continue to warn of the real consequences of global warming. However, decisions affecting energy use for the sake of the planet also affect jobs in the energy sector and gas prices that impact family budgets.
We know there are strong disagreements on controversial issues. It takes hard work to listen, compromise, and love one another, as Jesus commands us to love amid contentious conflict over issues that matter.
Recently, I had a conversation with a friend sporting a knee brace. When I asked about the brace, he spoke of his deteriorating knee and the continual pain, his inability to afford knee replacement surgery, and the multiple denials of Medicare coverage for the procedure because of his advanced age and condition. It has occurred to me that I do not want to elect decision-makers simply because they are party loyalists. I want to elect competent human beings with the dedication and sensitivity to understand competing interests and make tough decisions wisely.
Access to the Internet makes educated voting easier.
Information on how, where, and when to register and vote is available online at the Michigan Voter Information Center. Click to learn more. To help voters prepare, a sample ballot can be downloaded on the Department of State’s website. Click to view your sample ballot.
Most candidates for office also provide information online about their qualifications and views on significant issues to help voters make intelligent decisions. Ballots often include elections where the candidates and positions may be unfamiliar to the average voter. Voters should spend time prior to voting to learn about the issues and positions they are voting on to make more informed decisions.
The League of Women Voters of Michigan also provides helpful, nonpartisan voter information guides so voters can learn about each candidate’s position on key issues before the election. Click to download the voting guide. A print version can be found at most public libraries.
It is no secret that our electorate is divided like our current U.S. Congress. Competing media outlets spin the news to appeal to different segments of our population. It is a sad truth that tragedy, controversy, spreading falsehoods as fact, and conflict make for more profitable headlines and are more likely to capture the audience’s attention. Many voters prefer news that supports their own interests and preexisting biases.
As we prepare for Election Day on November 5, remember that your vote counts. Learn about the candidates and issues on the ballot. Speak the truth as you know it. Listen with an open mind to all points of view. Express your gratitude to those who work to make government and elections fair and functional for us all. And keep working across ideological divides to find common ground called for by our faith in Jesus, who reminds us that the two greatest commandments to remember are love for God and love for one another.
Last Updated on October 28, 2024
Posted in Featured, NewsTagged 2024 election, Democracy, early voting, Glenn Wagner, Voting