When Election Day arrives, so do the traps that come with it. Be sure you avoid these pitfalls, and help others avoid them, too.
1. I'm a nobody — I only have one vote, and my vote doesn't count!
This trap overlooks the lessons of history that show how elections can be decided by a single vote or a handful of votes. Remember the 2000 presidential election! Less well known, perhaps, are these facts:
A shift of less than one vote per precinct in a handful of states would have defeated Woodrow Wilson in his bid for re-election in 1916. A few votes per precinct in Illinois and a couple of other states and then Vice President Richard Nixon would have defeated John F. Kennedy in 1960. In 1974, Congressman Louis Wyman was declared the victor in the U.S. senate race in New Hampshire, after a recount, by just two votes.
Election history provides many similar examples.
Yes, your one vote counts, and you can also influence many other votes!
2. They're all bums! — No candidate is worthwhile!
This is the trap of looking for the non-existent perfect candidate. But your vote is not to canonize the candidate; it is to give him or her temporary power to do some limited good. If both choices look evil, try to see how one may be better than the other. This is not "choosing the lesser evil." Rather, it is choosing to limit evil, and that is a good.
3. I can't be a single-issue voter!
First of all, it is quite common that a "single issue" is what motivates a person to rally around a candidate.
But if you don't want to be a "single-issue" voter, at least give some careful thought to how the many issues are related. At the foundation of them all is the right to life, without which no other issues or rights are possible. If a politician can't respect the life of a little baby, how is she supposed to respect yours?
4. The election doesn't matter — we can't put our trust in these politicians. Those we elect whom we think are on our side disappoint us anyway.
We don't put our ultimate trust in earthly power and government, but in the Lord. Political involvement is not our salvation, but it is our duty. It is God Himself who gives us the opportunity and wisdom to shape our society according to His laws. Surely, any human leader can disappoint us, and many do. But we are not responsible for predicting or controlling the future, nor are we capable of doing so. We are responsible for analyzing the positions of the candidates and choosing those whose positions correspond to the moral law and the common good.
5. I'll show them! — using the election to vent our anger.
Sometimes individuals or groups vote vindictively. A candidate or party did them wrong, and so they want to teach them a lesson. This may help to vent a personal frustration, but who suffers in the process? It would be far better to go to the gym and take out your anger on a punching bag, or go into a field and yell. But those you elect to public office will influence a lot of people — and unborn babies — for a long time. Look beyond your personal problems or agendas.
6. The media says… — I am swayed by what the news says about who is winning.
What people do determines what the polls say, not vice-versa. Decide whom to vote for based on who is the better candidate and party, and then cast that vote without being unduly swayed by what the news reports are saying. And don’t forget that we are in a very unpredictable era of American politics, as the elections of 2016 demonstrated.
7. I'll go later…
Vote early if your state permits it, or go to vote first thing in the morning on Election Day. If you delay going to vote until later in the day, you increase the chances that you will be distracted or hindered by some problem that arises unexpectedly. You may also become busier than you anticipated, and might forget. The rule is: the earlier, the better.
8. Until next time…
At end of Election Day, don’t say, "Ah…Now I don’t have to worry about elections for a while." No, you have to start working on the next election now. This is the best time to start. The lessons you learned in this election cycle are fresh in your mind, and now is the time to make a list of all the things you could have done if you had thought of them sooner. Plan to do them for the next election.
So it's not "until next time…" Next time is here.
9. Overconfidence
If there are signs that your candidate is winning, don’t become overconfident. Work harder than ever to ensure the victory that seems to be coming.
10. Work with those you elect
We elect good candidates and parties in order to get a job done. Getting these men and women into office is the first step, not the last. Renew your efforts and activities at communicating with, lobbying, and encouraging those who are in the positions you wanted them to be in, so that electoral victories can be translated into legislative victories.
Fr. Frank Pavone is one of the most prominent pro-life leaders in the world. He became a Catholic priest in 1988 under Cardinal John O’Connor in New York. In 1993 he became National Director of Priests for Life. He is also the President of the National Pro-life Religious Council, and the National Pastoral Director of the Silent No More Campaign and of Rachel’s Vineyard, the world’s largest ministry of healing after abortion. He travels to about four states every week, preaching and teaching against abortion. He broadcasts regularly on television, radio, and internet. He was asked by Mother Teresa to speak in India on abortion, and was asked by then-candidate Donald Trump to serve on his Pro-life and Catholic advisory councils. He has served at the Vatican as an official of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which coordinates the pro-life activities of the Catholic Church. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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