You’re in a conversation and someone says, “My vote won’t make a difference, so I’m not voting.” What would you say?
An estimated 160 million people voted in the 2020 election. That’s a lot of people. One vote, out of 160 million, doesn’t seem likely to make a difference, does it?
However, is that a good reason not to vote? No. And here are three reasons why:
First, one vote matters a lot in local elections.
When most people think about elections, they tend to focus on the presidential race. Far more people vote in elections during a presidential year than during the mid-term elections. But in any election, there’s so much more than who ends up in the White House.
State and local elections not only can have a significant impact on our lives, but they are also decided by a much smaller number of votes.
In 2017, a Virginia House of Delegates race ended in a tie after more than 23,000 ballots were cast. According to the rules, the winner was decided by pulling a name out of a bowl.
In 2016, a New Mexico State House seat was decided by just 2 votes out of 14,000 that were cast. School board elections, which happen in every town in America, determine what students will be taught at school. Many of these races are decided by just hundreds of total voters.
It’s also important to remember that elections are about more than who takes public office. In most elections, there are ballot measures that will determine local and state laws... everything from rules about utilities or transportation to restrictions on abortion and law enforcement. These critical decisions make a big difference in our lives.
Which leads to the second point. When lots of people decide their vote doesn’t matter, it makes a big difference.
Elections are decided by who shows up. If we think that we are just one person out of 160 million voters, then it doesn’t feel like a big deal if we choose not to vote. But what if 10 million people decide their vote won’t make a difference? That makes a difference!
In 2020, approximately 240 million Americans were eligible to vote. However, only 168 million were registered to vote, and only 158 million actually voted for president. That means 82 million people who could have voted for a presidential candidate chose not to.
In the end, the person who was elected president received 81 million votes, or only 34% of eligible voters. It is even more true in smaller races and on ballot measures, that elections aren’t decided by majority opinion. They are decided by a majority of whoever shows up. It’s much more about participation than persuasion.
That’s why your vote matters more than you think, even if you don’t fill out a ballot. But for Christians, the responsibility to vote is not just about the results of an election.
Voting is an act of stewardship.
Romans 13 tells us that government was created by God in order to punish evil and reward good. That means, if any of us had been born into a royal family and were destined by birth to be king or queen, we would be responsible to use the power God gave us to punish evil and reward good. Most of us, of course, weren’t born to be a king or queen.
But in America, all citizens have been granted authority to determine who should be in government. That authority also comes from God. Our job is to use that authority the best way we know how. This means doing our homework about the candidates and the initiatives on the ballot, and then accepting our responsibility to vote. That’s what it means to be a good steward of the things God gave us. It is a good thing that we can do.
Though the ultimate outcome may be beyond our control, our stewardship of the authority God has given us is part of our responsibility.
So next time someone tells you it’s not worth voting because your vote won’t make a difference, remember these three things:
- In local elections, a single vote matters a lot.
- When lots of people decide their vote doesn’t matter, it makes a big difference.
- Voting is an act of stewardship.
Colson Center
