If you do not vote - Dr. Thomas L. Butts

If You Do Not Vote. ....

by Dr. Thomas L. Butts

For more than 50 years I have looked for some way to motivate the people in my church and community to vote. The key word here is "motivate", but I must confess that I have been tempted to "intimidate", even try to "scare" people into voting. There is a big sign beside Interstate Highway 65 between Montgomery and Birmingham,Alabama that reads: "If you do not go to church the devil will get you!". That is not the kind of tactic I was taught to use in the ministry of trying to get people to church, but I must confess that in times of pastoral frustration with careless Christians, I have been tempted to use it. (When I was an active pastor I would sometimes remind my Methodist constituency that I made an "A" in Guilt 101 in seminary.) In my better moments, however, I remember that "fear" is the lowest and most unstable form of motivation.

What can I ethically and effectively say to those of you, who are gracious and patient enough to read this column, to get you to take time out of your "busy schedule" to go to the polls and vote??!! I do not want to tell you "how" to vote, even though I might consider giving you some sage advice on the subject if you were to ask. I am just asking you to vote.

There is no one thing of which I can think which is more basic to a functional and effective democracy than the informed vote of individual citizens. If you have ever thought your vote does not count, look for a moment at how just a few votes out of millions determined the last two presidential elections. Several years ago one of my friends won a county-wide election by one vote. He was never thereafter able to shake the sobriquet: "Landslide". Your vote counts whether it determines the outcome of the election or not. If you do not vote, you should not complain about who is elected.

It is a real shame for any citizen to fail to vote, but let me tread for a moment on slippery ground and address two particular groups.

Women! Do you remember the hard-fought battle of less than 100 years ago for women's right to vote? How could you forget?! Shame on you if you forget the sacrifice that was made to give you that right. Let your husband fix his own lunch while you go vote - or let him do without if he is too lazy.

African-Americans! Do you remember the violence and bloodshed in this country, in what surely is a "remember history", that made it possible for African-Americans to vote? The right to vote came at great cost. Do not dishonor your parents and grandparents (and a few white people here and there) who made it possible for you to go to the polls and vote without fear of intimidation.

Some say: "I do not like either of the candidates, so I will not vote". That is a "cop-out". There are almost always several people I had rather vote for than the available candidates, but that is not an option. Pick somebody, by some method you can live with, then go vote.

In closing, let me stoop to borrow the concept of the anonymous soul who put up the roadside sign between Montgomery and Birmingham,Alabama. "Vote or the devil will get you". And if he/she does not, I will, if I can find you.

God bless America!

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