David Hegg | Be ready to choose

By David Hegg

With just over three weeks until the November election, it’s time to talk about voting options. No, I will not support any candidates, issues or parties. I’ll suggest some strategies for getting factual information and making smart decisions before you mail your ballot or enter the voting booth.

We all experienced the general election flood. The media produces commercials, testimonials and recommendations designed to make our choice easier. They were originally just informational, but have recently become deliberate exaggerations and malicious, mostly unfounded accusations. Remember, selecting those who will serve our city, our county, our state and our nation should never be easy. We should really think, study, reflect and evaluate what we learn about people before casting our vote for them or for or against a measure or proposal.

Next came the ubiquitous campaign signs. I often ask myself about the strategy here. Should I consider a candidate more worthy if his or her signs are displayed in groups of five? And I always wonder about the color choice. Do you think paid political officials stay up at night arguing with candidates that Red and Blue beat Green and Yellow seven times out of ten?

But all of that was only slightly less annoying than the plague of unwanted text messages. You know, the ones where we’re supposed to assume that a nationally known figure happens to have the time to text me personally and ask me to save his campaign with a few dollars. Are we really that gullible?

I think the answer is yes. Here’s the problem. Professional politicians know that most voters are lazy and want someone to tell them who to vote for.

They learned that we can be influenced by fancy commercials, a barrage of billboards, and celebrity endorsements. They bet we let them think for us, but you and I know that our democratic system only works if we vote intelligently.

My advice: Don’t be someone’s stooge. Don’t choose popularity or personality. Choose those with the best guidelines, who are able to identify, explain, and prove their ideas are both actionable and useful.

So here are a few suggestions:

1. Forget about advertising altogether. Don’t be manipulated by scripted sound sequences produced by professional filmmakers. Do you really think you understand the whole story?

2. Remember: The type with the most characters is also the type with the most characters. You don’t choose a marketing team; You choose a person to represent your point of view.

3. Read all about candidate views and records. Most election centers offer position papers and other materials that allow you to hear what the candidate really thinks.

4. Attend some “meet and greet” events. Meet the candidates in person and have some well-written questions ready for them to answer. Then assess how competent they are, how well they can think and articulate their views, and whether or not they appear trustworthy.

5. Finally, when you find a candidate worthy of your support, support them. The best candidates are often the least funded simply because they refuse to toe the party line.

The elections are coming and they are very important. Don’t let anyone else think for you. Think, study, discover and then vote. You won’t regret it, just like the rest of us.

Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” is published on Sundays.