Voting your Conscience

Another show I like, although it is one of those “ripped from the headlines” type of shows, where, rather than creating their own story lines, they tend to mimic reality, is Madame Secretary.

The last show I watched which aired on Sunday, February 28^th was actually quite good.

The main story line was about returning the remains of Americans who died in WWII.  A side story was about the Secretary’s daughter working for a candidate who chose not to make student loan forgiveness as one of his key talking points during the campaign.  Her daughter dropped her campaign support for him and furthermore decided she could not vote at all, frustrated by his so-called hypocrisy.

Now this is a topic of concern for many people today as they struggle to find a candidate that upholds everything they hold holy.  Although I always vote, I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit that the thought of not voting has crossed my mind as well in the last few years.  

The moral and ethical challenge to voting is tremendous today.  I don’t worry about “throwing away my vote” on a candidate that will likely not win, so long as I can live with my conscience when I cast my vote for someone.

A well-informed conscience is a key element in Catholic teaching.

But back to the show.  The Secretary’s daughter did end up voting, because as the show pointed out very emphatically—and rightly so—that those who have fought in the military put themselves in harm’s way and many died for us to have the freedom to vote (among other rights).  It is not an insignificant thing they we can participate in this process of electing our officials.

I want to refer you to a good resource as you consider your vote in the upcoming election.  Don’t be disturbed that it is labeled a Catholic voting guide, if you are not Catholic.  It has a lot of good information for anyone who wants to vote conscientiously.

Here is a particularly interesting excerpt I thought you might enjoy.  Please remember that this blog exists to proclaim the Gospel, so any mean-spirited commentary, or that which promotes a particular candidate or begins a political argument, is not helpful to reaching its desired end.

I am hoping you will find the guide useful for your personal consideration.  I find the excerpt offers an interesting perspective on the question below:

“If no single party or candidate in a given election conforms to our key Catholic principles, what are we to do?

It is clear that one absolutely may not vote for a “candidate who favors a policy promoting an intrinsically evil act, such as abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide, deliberately subjecting workers or the poor to subhuman living conditions, redefining marriage in ways that violate its essential meaning, or racist behavior, if the voter’s intent is to support that position” (FC No. 34). But neither can one use a candidate’s opposition to such evils “to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life or dignity” (*FC, No. 34).

There may be times when a voter selects a candidate who holds an unacceptable position, but this can be done only for “truly grave moral reasons,” not just for partisan or personal interests. It may involve the prudential judgment that one candidate seems likely to do less harm or is more likely to pursue other positive priorities. 

If, for a grave reason, we do vote for a candidate who holds positions contrary to fundamental moral goods, we have a duty to make our opposition to those positions heard. Writing letters, speaking up at forums and participating in local party political activities are ways to steadfastly assert our Catholic values.

There may even be occasions when some Catholic voters feel that they must take “the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate” (FC, No. 36). This, too, is a serious decision that must be guided by one’s conscience and the moral teachings of our faith.”

Janet Cassidy

janetcassidy.com

*You may also be interested in Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.