Opinion
Vote: one Catholic's perspective
Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016
Each of us knows someone who has voiced frustration about the upcoming presidential election akin to the following: “They’re both just so bad; I can’t vote for either of them.” You may even be one of those people. I understand your frustration. Many of us are, if not far past the point where we can stand hearing another insult or soundbite aimed across the aisle, just about on our last nerve. Still, such an exasperated conclusion deserves to be re-examined for several reasons. Here I would like to make an important distinction between conscious abstention and a failure to bother. I respect the decision of those who have concluded after much prayerful reflection that they cannot in good conscience vote for either Mr. Trump or Secretary Clinton in the general election. I nevertheless exhort these people to go to the polls and vote for the other elections on the ballot. For whether it is a contested Senate race, an unexpectedly close gubernatorial tie, or a neck-and-neck municipal election with significant local implications, this election cycle in its totality deserves our conscious attention. There are grave social, economic, political and ideological consequences at stake in every state and district. To abstain from all of these elections on account of the one that dominates the news cycle would be a disservice to them all. Moreover, the Catholic social tradition, to which each of us has received varying degrees of exposure during our respective careers here at Notre Dame, offers compelling insight into our civic responsibilities, which carry particular gravity during election season.
