This week, special elections were held throughout Alabama as a result of newly drawn congressional maps. After the Callais ruling, redistricting dominated the headlines both statewide and nationwide. One would assume, as a result, voters in these newly drawn districts would be well informed about the special elections.
You would be wrong, and very much so. Just over 5% of registered voters in Alabama participated in the special election. This is not only disappointing, but it’s responsible for the majority of our problems. Let’s discuss how that is, and most importantly, how we fix it.
Our nation was set up as a constitutional republic that places the individual, rather than government, first. If you read our founding documents, our founding fathers believed that God, and only God, grants each individual their rights. It’s government’s job to protect those rights, and then stay out of the way.
This radical idea is what led America to 250 years of greatness. However, to keep it that way, the individual must be strong and participate in the system. John Adams once said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Our republic can only function properly if moral and religious citizens have a backbone and participate in elections. The alternative is much worse. Special interests then fill the void left by the ordinary citizen, and they dictate how our system operates. The only way to take back our power is at the ballot box, but this requires voters to be informed.
Before we discuss tangible ways to get the word out, what is the message? The truth is local policy is what dictates your everyday life the most. Some say they only vote in Presidential elections, or only the general elections. This is backwards and illogical.
Especially in a deep-red state like Alabama where Republicans win almost every election, the real election takes place in the primary to decide which candidate you send to the general election. If you want real, strong conservatives to hold office in this state, you must participate in these primaries. It’s non-negotiable. Likewise, if you neglect the local and statewide elections to only participate in the Presidential elections, you are completely removing yourself from influencing your environment that affects you most.
Your own backyard will be overrun by policies antithetical to your beliefs, and you’ll only have yourself to blame for choosing to stay at home when it mattered most. The backbone of our nation grows from the bottom up. You want to change America? Start in your own backyard. If we all do our part to make our backyards better, soon enough all of America will change for the better as well.
How do we get the word out? Perhaps it’s billboards, commercials, or flyers. These all help, but it starts with us teaching those in our circle why these elections matter. We live in the most comfortable society in the world. However, without proper maintenance, we will get lulled to sleep. Start by educating your friends and family on how these local elections affect them directly.
Your friend doesn’t like what they’re teaching in their kid’s school? Tell them to vote for better school board members, or perhaps run themself. Teach your family members about how the political process works, and why who we send to D.C. matters. The lack of civic knowledge in our nation is staggering, but it’s our responsibility to educate those around us. Only then can we enact real change.
The fact of the matter is, only 5% of voters voting in congressional primaries is appalling. Only 23% participated in the May elections, and 10% in the June run-offs. These are the people who represent us and what we stand for. Complacency is what will kill our deep-red state. Democrat turnout in Alabama is on the rise and completely dominating that of the Republicans. If conservatives in Alabama don’t vote, liberals will. We must vote like the future of our state depends on it, because it does.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, ”A republic, if you can keep it.” A republic like ours requires engagement; it’s not an option. Strong individuals nationwide actively participating in the political process is what prevents radical ideologies from taking root.
Christians must participate to prevent our nation from becoming hostile to our beliefs and indoctrinating our children; conservatives must participate to defeat communists attempting to infiltrate our institutions, and Americans must participate to keep our nation strong and healthy. SEC football can wait, and Netflix isn’t going anywhere. Our nation is set up to give each individual the power and a right that many men and women have died fighting for. Do not spoil it.
