WHY VOTE?

“Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Hebrews 12:1 Msg

Amazingly the question keeps being asked: Why vote? There are those who believe it does not matter or nothing will change. Marian Wright Edelman answered the question this way:

“People who do not vote have no credit with people who are elected and thus pose no threat to those who act against our interests.”

Another way to answer the question is to consider all the “pioneers who blazed the way” for us to have the right and privilege to vote. Think of the pioneers who marched, who lived under threats, who were bombed and beaten, arrested, and killed. The pioneers “blazed the way!” Think of Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Medgar Evers, Thurgood Marshall, Fannie Lou Hamer, James Meredith, John Lewis, Stokely Carmichael, James Meredith, and many others who are now watching us and cheering us on to vote.

We need not hesitate to register or stand in line. This year’s election is critical to our nation and us as a people. We must eliminate any argument and any obstacle that would keep us from voting.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the pioneers who went before us exercising their faith and determination to obtain the rights we enjoy today. Give us the motivation to take advantage of the right people suffered, bled, and died for—the right to vote. Amen.

© 2020 Dr. John Ogletree – Houston, TX