President Calvin Coolidge, known in his time as "Silent Cal" for his reluctance to speak publicly, nevertheless spoke volumes when it came to one topic: the duty of Americans to vote. In 1926, he said:
It is not in violence and crime that our greatest danger lies. These evils are so perfectly apparent that they very quickly arouse the moral power of the people for their suppression. A far more serious danger lurks in the shirking of those responsibilities of citizenship, where the evil may not be so noticeable but is more insidious and likely to be more devastating.
We live in a republic. A vital principle of that form of government is representation. More and more, as our population increases, it becomes necessary for the people to express their will through their duly chosen delegates. If we are to maintain the principle that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, if we are to have any measure of self-government, if the voice of the people is to rule, if representatives are truly to reflect the popular will, it is altogether necessary that in each election there should be a fairly full participation by all the qualified voters.
Eighty years later, getting everyone to take their duty to vote seriously is still the biggest issue of the hour — and it is uppermost in the minds of Christian and conservative leaders.
Saying he is "concerned about my country," Focus on the Family Chairman James C. Dobson, Ph.D., is calling on all Americans — especially people of faith — to vote on Election Day.
"If people of faith — the so-called values voters — don't come out and let their voices be heard, there are going to be some major implications for this country."
Dobson is joined by others, including Gary Bauer, the former presidential candidate who heads American Values.
"I think it is the duty of any American citizen, especially at a time of war, to vote," Bauer told CitizenLink. "But I particularly believe that is true for Christians. I believe the Scriptures are full of things that point to the idea that we need to be Christian citizens - just as we are Christian students or Christian teachers or Christian parents.
"Citizenship is one of the major parts of our lives, particularly in a democracy, and so we need to bring our faith to the public square in order to ensure that our children are taught our values, that the schools reflect our values, that the laws reflect our values. If we don't do that, then we're going to leave the governing of America to those who have a quite different vision of what they want this country to be. I think we lose our right to complain or dissent or object, if we're not part of the process."
Dr. Richard Land of the Ethics and Religious Liberties Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, agrees that Christians have the responsibility to be involved.
"Millions of people around the world long for the opportunity to elect their leaders, yet, sadly, too many Americans, including Christians, fail to exercise this privilege in our country," he told an audience in Nashville recently. "Considering the consequences of our absence from the voting booth, we cannot afford to remain on the sidelines."
In a normal year, roughly half of American Christians aren't even registered to vote, and, of those who are, only half go to the polls. But this year hasn't been a normal year, according to Dr. Dobson. Christian conservatives are being egged on in their apathy by the news media.
"There are these statements from the media that values voters don't care this year, and that they're going to stay home," he said.
Indeed, Bauer said there has been an unbelievable effort to "discourage and suppress" the Christian conservative vote.
"But that's reason enough to want to get out there to vote," he added. "If 'they' don't want us to vote, there must be a reason."
A second major reason to vote, as Bauer sees it, is that America is engaged in two giant battles.
"One is the war against Islamo-fascism," Bauer said. "We need to make sure we elect people to the Congress, to the Senate, that understand what we're up against and are willing to see it through to the end."
The other big war is over the culture.
"We're just one Supreme Court vote away from overturning Roe and stopping the radical gay-rights movement's attempt to redefine marriage. If conservative Christians lose in the Senate tomorrow, it will be a disaster, and we may lose our last chance for the next 30 years to make progress."
In the end, it's terribly important that we get out to vote, but Tom McClusky, vice president of governmental affairs at the Family Research Council points out that we should also think of our neighbors and friends — and help others get to the polls.
"If you have a vehicle, why not pick up some of your friends to make sure they get out and vote?" McClusky asked. "Grab a phone and call them to make sure they've voted. It's important that we're all involved — and that we all stay involved."
