Mid-Term Elections: Will They Really Change Anything?

Less than a week from now, if they haven’t taken advantage of early voting, citizens around the country will stream to the polls to cast votes for a variety of races and issues. At stake are governorships, U.S. Congressional races, state and local contests, amendments and referendums. The mid-term elections are under way. How could we forget, with the bombardment of political ads we’ve been enduring for months?

Much has been expressed about the ramifications of the election, of this or that party keeping or losing control of the House and the Senate, along with who will lead key states in the coming years. But in the end, will we discover that when all has been said and done, much more will have been said than done?

 

Whenever an ad for a candidate comes on – virtually any candidate – I’m reminded of the old perfume commercial that advised, “Promise her anything – but give her Arpege.” Because politicians are notorious for making campaign promises, for pretty much anything, only to promptly forget those vows and assurances once they’re sworn into office.

 

But let’s suspend our disbelief. Let’s set aside the ample evidence that while all politicians promise, few truly keep those promises. Let’s suppose that through some civic miracles, those elected will decide to abide by what they’ve said they would do. Will things really change all that much?

 

I’m all in favor of the political process, subscribing to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address notion in 1863 that ours is a “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” Unlike monarchies, dictatorships, and tyrannical forms of government that give citizens little or no voice in how their countries and communities are run, we get to vote. The people and parties we favor don’t always win, but at least we’ve had the opportunity to cast our ballots and indicate our preferences.

 

To ensure I would not fail to vote on Election Day due to illness or some emergency, I took advantage of the opportunity to go to a local polling place a couple weeks ago. My votes have been cast and recorded. Exercising my civic duty and Constitutional right, I’m hoping the “right” candidates are elected.

 

However, I return to my earlier question: Will things really change all that much? The reason I ask is because of a simple truth stated and reaffirmed in the Scriptures: “For all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No matter how well-intended they are, in electing people to represent us in any level of government, we are choosing flawed, sinful individuals to serve on our behalf.

 

Romans 3:10-12 expresses it even more emphatically: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God…there is no one who does good, not even one.” I don’t think God could not have made it more clear. Sometimes in reading this passage, I wonder whether politicians were the first collection of folks the Lord had in mind.

 

This was why, when the people of Israel asked the prophet Samuel for a king, it was an affront to God. “But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel…. And the Lord told him, ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king’” (1 Samuel 8:6-7).

 

Then God admonished Samuel, “Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do” (1 Samuel 8:9). The prophet obeyed, giving the warning and then concluding, “When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day” (1 Samuel 8:18).

 

The Israelites did not listen, insisting that they have a king just like the nations around them. And indeed, starting with King Saul and a parade of kings that followed him, they were ruled by imperfect, sometimes very corrupt kings. The parade of leaders with feet of clay (or worse) commences in 1 Samuel, continuing through 2 Chronicles and beyond.

 

Does this imply the Scriptures are opposed to the democratic process, including the right to vote and elect our governmental leaders? Definitely not. But after reading the biblical narratives in which even the best kings sometimes wallowed in sin, our voting should take a “buyer beware” approach. No candidate or party is going to become the panacea for the ills of our nation – or the world.

 

As Jesus taught, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). While the context of this statement concerns material wealth and possessions, the point is clear: We cannot give our allegiance both to God and to worldly matters.

 

When we vote, our responsibility is to choose candidates and issues that we believe align best with biblical teachings, and then trust in the assurance of Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.” He alone is the true King.

 

If we don’t ask Him to give us the leaders we need, He’ll give us the leaders we deserve. Lord have mercy!