Before, During, and After an Election: How the Christian Should Think and Act

August 1, 2024 / by Pastor Scott Boerckel

How easy it is for us to worry over elections! Every election, the pundits tell us,“This is the most important election in our lifetime.”

This raising of the stakes, by all sides of the political spectrum, can create an anxiety that is difficult to overcome. Besides, anyone who loves their country feels a deep connection to the election process, their own participation in that process, and a vital interest in the outcome. How should the Christian think and act before, during, and after an election? Answering this question biblically and with some wisdom from some ancient Christians can remove a lot of our anxiety and replace it with the calm assurance that, as citizens of heaven, we can entrust the entire process to our kind God, Who does all things well. Not everything that I write here should be regarded as absolute or moral commands (though some things are). However, I think that there is some wisdom in the counsel that I am sharing here.

BEFORE AN ELECTION

What should the believer do before an election? First, the believer should be much in prayer. In fact, we should pray more than anything else. Pray more than watching your favorite pundit’s podcast or program. Pray more than posting your views on social media. Pray more than talking with your like-minded friends and relatives. Pray more than arguing with your unlike-minded friends and relatives. Christian, are you praying? Do you join with others in prayer? May I suggest that you come to our Wednesday evening prayer meetings?

Second, the believer should urge the like-minded to vote. It is always a bit of a source of amazement to me that there are many people who do not vote. One key action that a believer can take is to encourage others to vote.

Third, the believer should not worry or get filled with rage. “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” (Ephesians 4:31) But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (Colossians 3:8) In an election, all sorts of attempts at manipulation will come to us. Political parties that we favor will manipulate us by incendiary words to get us to give them money. Political parties that we oppose will manipulate us by incendiary words intended to discourage us about the whole process.

Fourth, don’t waste time trying to convince the unconvinced. “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.” (Proverbs 23:9) By now, 80-85% of the voting public has already made up their minds about how they will vote. Rather than argue with people on the other side, either in person or on social media, the believer’s most effective effort will be made with that small percentage of folks who are ambivalent or undecided in the election. Talking to people who are already decided is simply unprofitable. If one is talking with people who agree, you simply are increasing the anxiety of both of you. If one is talking with people who disagree, you simply are increasing tension and bitterness. It seems prudent, if one is actually wanting to make an electoral difference, to focus on the undecided both to convince and to get them to vote. This is why efforts at electioneering in our church, it seems to me, are not productive. Our fellowship would have an even higher percentage of already decided than the population at large. Speaking about the election issues and candidates, even on a practical basis, would largely be a waste of time and even unintentionally produce anxiety which we know our God does not want in the believer. (Note: there are other, even more important, reasons for the church not to focus on electioneering and on candidates, but this is a practical consideration that I think should be considered.)

DURING AN ELECTION

What should the believer do during an election? This is a harder question now than it has been in the past. Today, elections (wrongly, in my opinion) are scattered over weeks of time with a focus on the ballot harvesting of early voting, absentee voting, etc. What used to be a day of citizenship, reflection, and even thanksgiving has turned into a weeks long harangue of information inundation. Just try to wait until election day to vote and see how many texts you receive urging you to vote early. If you have ever voted in a primary, your phone number will be accessed by thousands of robotexting and robocalling operations. This diminishes the election process; it enables greater varieties of election fraud; it generates doubt as to the fairness of electoral outcomes; it makes tabulating the vote a much more delayed process. Both major parties will spend millions of dollars to parlay this mess into electoral victory.

First, the believer should pray. Pray that the election will be free and fair. Pray that everyone who is legally eligible to vote will be able to do so and that anyone who is not eligible to vote will not be able to do so. Pray that God’s will might be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

Second, if you have the ability, volunteering to serve as an election judge or a poll watcher is a great way to show real patriotism toward our democracy and the liberties that we enjoy in determining our leaders. As an election judge, one’s perspective must be more neutral, while as a poll watcher, one can be engaged in a more partisan endeavor. There are always opportunities to join “get out the vote” activities that both major parties employ. This too can be a way to be involved in the democratic process.

Third, be sure to vote. Voting is a most sacred trust, given to us by God in our nation at the cost of much blood, sweat, and tears. To fail to vote is to fail one’s nation. To fail to vote is to absent oneself from a patriotic duty. To fail to vote means that you will have no true way to say that you have done all that you can for your country. Often, there is hardship in voting. There may be no major candidate whom you feel that you can vote for. You may live in a state where your position is so much in the minority or majority that it feels meaningless to cast a ballot. Still, be sure to vote. It may be that you will need to write in someone for a particular office or vote for the candidate of a minor party. Yet, even here, you are making your voice heard. Your voice may be small but use it! Voting is the primary way we Americans make our voices heard.

Finally, do not be anxious (Philippians 4:6-7). There is not much point in worrying over every detail of election returns on election night. Anxiety, anger, blaming, and making unsubstantiated claims are not the Christian way. We must remember that although we are citizens of this nation, we have a higher citizenship, which means that all anxiety is wasted energy. Augustine, in his magnum opus, “The City of God,” reminds us, “…the one true God rules and governs according to His will. And, though His reasons may be hidden, they have never been unjust.” (City of God, Book V, Chap. 21) If you see that your desired result occurs, do not think that at last all will be well. If you see that your desired result does not happen, all is not lost. God has His reasons, and those reasons have never been unjust, even if at the moment we do not understand them.

AFTER AN ELECTION

After an election, we should pray for those who have won, that God will grant them wisdom to lead and serve our nation well. We should pray for those who lost, that God may reveal Himself to them in this defeat and perhaps even save some by His grace. We should pray for our nation and our community, as it appears that no matter the outcome of this election, it will be close enough in many races for lots of accusations of cheating, for bitter rancor at the “other side,” and for people to attempt unscrupulous means to manipulate the results, even after all the voting has occurred. It is precisely to avoid this rancor and to preserve trust in our electoral process, that Richard Nixon declined having a recount of the state of Illinois, despite some clear evidence of electoral tampering. (For an interesting narrative of what happened in that election, see this article)

Second, do not be embittered by any defeats. There was once a time when I was heavily invested in election outcomes and found the bitterness of loss almost too great to bear. A dear friend of mine, who happened to be on the other side of many political positions that I had, asked to meet with me weekly to pray for our nation. Those prayer times were so precious and helped to eliminate the bitterness from my heart.

Third, do not be boastful or prideful in victory. Events have a way of changing completely the trajectory of politics. What a politician runs on is hardly ever his or her legacy because the events change the course. So, to be overly proud of victory can set you up for extreme disappointment.

Finally, do not look for hope in the present city. Look for hope in the city of God. That is the theme of Augustine’s book. That is the word from the Bible: “Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” Hebrews 13:13-16

If you are worried that this election will prove to be the demise or recovery of our nation, you would do well to take the perspective of John Calvin, who bids us to recognize that if hardship is pressed upon us, it is in the design of God for us: “Doubtless our condition in this world will include many hardships, but God’s will is that Christ’s kingdom should be encompassed with many enemies, his design being to keep us in a state of constant warfare. Therefore, it becomes us to exercise patience and meekness and, assured of God’s aid, boldly to consider the rage of the whole world as nothing.” John Calvin, 365 Days with Calvin: A Unique Collection of 365 Readings from the Writings of John Calvin, ed. Joel Beeke (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage, 2008), March 19 entry.

Scott loves being a pastor and teaching God’s Word. Before he was a pastor, he worked as a ceramic engineer (and bonus points for anyone who actually knows what that is). He sometimes uses the training that he received at the University of Illinois (Go Illini!), Grace Theological Seminary, and Jerusalem University College. Scott’s wife, Carol, is an awesome watercolor artist who really knows how to think Christianly about the arts. Scott likes cycling with friends, enjoying his ever growing family, and learning from the community of God’s people at East White Oak.