My Position on the 2016 Presidential Election Part 4: “Throwing My Vote Away”

I intentionally saved this portion of my position for the latter half of my article, because I knew many of the points wouldn’t be given full consideration by some until other “practical” concerns were addressed.

I’ve heard stories about old people who refuse to leave their homes right before a volcano blows or a tsunami hits or a wildfire passes through, saying something like, “I was born in this home and I’ll die in this home.” People like that make me angry. They probably make all of us angry. They seem to have some kind of pride or stubbornness that blinds them to being considerate of the families and friends that love them and want to have them in their lives. I feel like that image of arrogance and stubbornness has been cast on those of us who refuse to vote for one of the frontrunners. I don’t believe that is accurate or fair. The old person’s commitment to not move and die is based on some sort of bizarre pride or attachment to material things while our commitment is based on principles rooted in the scriptures and counsel of God’s servants.

Voting “Third-Party”

I have no sacred commitment to any party. My loyalty is to God and the Constitution He gave us, not to Republicans. For lack of time, I won’t develop this though much further. But I highly recommend the book “Many are Called, But Few Are Chosen” by H. Verlan Andersen for some powerful points on this subject.

I believe God will hold us accountable for our vote. Read a recent post of mine about that here.

D&C 98 says:

4 And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.

5 And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.

6 Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;

7 And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.

8 I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.

9 Nevertheless, when the wicked rule the people mourn.

10 Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil.

11 And I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall forsake all evil and cleave unto all good, that ye shall live by every word which proceedeth forth out of the mouth of God.

12 For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept; and I will try you and prove you herewith.

13 And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.

14 Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.

15 For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me.

The Lord commanded me to forsake all evil, including the lesser of two evils. He said that I should only uphold good, honest, and wise men. I have some very personal feelings about what those three words mean to me. You and I may disagree on what those words mean and who qualifies, but I believe my understanding of those words is in harmony with what God meant when He gave this revelation.

Most people see this election as a round of 50-50 roulette. I see it as a test where God determines if the rounds are blanks or loaded. I believe that if we rely on people/government for our rights and our freedoms, we will lose both. I’ve been asked what I’m willing to lose by voting independent. Well, I hope I can be faithful enough to be willing to lose my life for passing the ultimate test. Verses 12 and 14 say that God will try us and prove us. I really believe this election is a massive test of our faith. So many people are voting out of fear. Fear is literally everywhere. The whole election has been about scaring people into voting for one of the frontrunners out of fear of the other. I’m not falling for it. I’m not afraid. I want to be worthy of Him.

Saying that voting “third-party” is a “waste of a vote” demonstrates either ignorance or intellectual laziness, or both. Hear people out on their positions. Even the phrase “voting third-party” reflects the fatal “spirit of party” George Washington warned us about in his Farewell Address.

I’m not throwing my vote away. I’m throwing it a different direction. You could say that I’m throwing it vertically. I’m putting my vote in a different deposit or account, if you will.

Voting According to Principle

I determined from the beginning to not vote for either of the two front-runners, and possibly not even anyone on the recent ballot. To me, there is nothing different about the object of this election than any others in the past. The object is to stand for true and correct principles. By voting independent, I acted exactly the same way I expect my political leaders to. You may call it “ignorant” or “politically irresponsible.” I call it being obedient and faithful and courageous. Generally, it takes a lot more intellect and emotional fortitude to justify going against the current than to ride the wave and parrot what everybody else is saying.

Perhaps the only difference about this election is that “more is at stake.” Perhaps the difference is that it is now a lot harder to stand against popular opinion.

When Joseph Smith officially launched his candidacy for the presidency during the 1844 election, many members of the church were called to “electioneer” for Joseph Smith.

On April 9, 1844, during general conference, the campaign began to take on a unique nature. Brigham Young announced that elders would be called to both “preach the Gospel and electioneer.” During the latter part of the meeting, when President Young called for volunteers to serve these missions, 244 men stepped forward.

Additional electioneer missionaries were called, bringing the total to at least 337. On April 15 they were assigned to all 26 states in the Union and to the Wisconsin Territory. Not only the number but also the quality of missionaries called was striking. Ten members of the Quorum of the Twelve—Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Parley P. Pratt, William Smith, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith, and Lyman Wight—served as electioneer missionaries.

The Quorum of the Twelve scheduled a series of conferences to be held all over the United States. The Illinois state convention, held at Nauvoo on May 17, 1844, formally nominated Joseph Smith for president of the United States and Sidney Rigdon for vice president. The delegates organized a national convention to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 13.

The journal of Wilford Woodruff describes the activities of an electioneer missionary. Elder Woodruff left Nauvoo on May 9 in company with George A. Smith, Jedediah M. Grant, and Ezra Thayer for an electioneer mission that would last just nine weeks. During that time he recorded that he spoke in at least six “political meetings.” He spoke at many more religious meetings than political gatherings, and he always kept his religious sermons and political speeches separate.

(“Joseph Smith: Campaign for President of the United States” By Arnold K. Garr, lds.org)

Hyrum Smith said:

We engage in the election the same as in any other principle: you are to vote for good men, and if you do not do this it is a sin: to vote for wicked men, it would be sin. Choose the good and refuse the evil. Men of false principles have preyed upon us like wolves upon helpless lambs. Damn the rod of tyranny; curse it. Let every man use his liberties according to the Constitution. Don’t fear man or devil; electioneer with all people, male and female, and exhort them to do the thing that is right.

(Hyrum Smith, History of the Church, Vol.6, Ch.15, p.323)

I recently found the full statement by Joseph Smith on throwing away votes by voting contrary to the primary party options. It bothers me when quotes are used out of context, so I wanted to do this research to make sure it is being fairly used in this way. My research has convinced me that this quote is relevant to this current election. Here is the context…

Joseph Smith ran for president in 1844 when neither of the frontrunners were likely to guarantee the church the freedom from persecution they were seeking. In the context of his bid for the presidency, he said:

One great reason that we have for pursuing our present course is, that at every election we have been made a political target for the demagogues in the country to shoot their loathsome arrows at…. We refuse any longer to be thus bedaubed for either party. We withdraw. Under existing circumstances, we have no other alternative; and if we can accomplish our object, well: if not, we shall have the satisfaction of knowing that we have acted conscientiously, and have used our best judgment. And if we have to throw away our votes, we had better do so upon a worthy rather than an unworthy individual who might make use of the weapon we put in his hand to destroy us.

(Cited in Roberts, Comprehensive History, vol. II, p. 208-209 and Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 441. February 15, 1844.)

Here are a few more quotes on putting principle over politics:

[The church] tests and measures every man-made policy by the eternal, unchanging principles of the gospel. If a proposed policy is in harmony with these principles, it is approved by the Church, if in opposition to gospel principles it is dissaproved. The ax hews at untruth no matter where the chips may fall.

(John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconcilliations, p. 280. 1943.)

 

Since making the correct decisions is essential to attain your goals in life, consider how they should be made. There are two patterns for making decisions: the first I will call decisions based upon circumstance; the second, decisions based upon eternal truth. Let us examine each pattern.

The guiding principle in the pattern of decisions based upon circumstance is to make choices according to the outcome desired rather than upon what is right or wrong. There is no use of an underlying set of standards to consistently guide those decisions. Each choice is made upon what appears to give the most desired result now. One who follows this path is left to his own strength and capacity and the support of others who can be influenced to act in his favor. Satan encourages choices to be made in this manner. It gives him the greatest opportunity to tempt an individual to make decisions that will be harmful even though they appear most appealing when made.

In time, one who makes decisions based upon circumstance is virtually assured to commit serious transgressions. There is no iron rod of truth to keep that person in the right way. He will continually be faced with many subtle temptations to make deviations from the commandments. Those choices are justified by arguing that they are not that bad, that they are more socially acceptable and provide a broader base of friends. A clever individual without foundation principles can at times acquire, temporarily, impressive accomplishments. Yet that attainment is like a sand castle. When the test of character comes, it crumbles, often taking others with it.

The second pattern, making decisions based upon eternal truth, is the pattern of the Lord. It will always lead you to make decisions guided by His plan of happiness. Such decisions are centered in doing what is right, not in first deciding the result desired. Choosing to do what the Lord has defined as right will, in the long run, always lead to the best outcomes. However, that pattern may require you to set aside something you very much desire now for a greater future good.

(“The Power of Righteousness” by Richard G. Scott)

 

Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. (See 1 Kgs. 18:21.) President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had ‘never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life’ (in Conference Report, Apr. 1941, p. 123). This is a hard doctrine, but it is a particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ! We are now entering a time of incredible ironies. Let us cite but one of these ironies which is yet in its subtle stages: We will see a maximum, if indirect, effort made to establish irreligion as the state religion. It is actually a new form of paganism which uses the carefully preserved and cultivated freedoms of western civilization to shrink freedom, even as it rejects the value essence of our rich Judeo-Christian heritage.

Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. M. J. Sobran also said, ‘A religious conviction is now a second-class conviction, expected to step deferentially to the back of the secular bus, and not to get uppity about it’ (Human Life Review, Summer 1978, pp. 58–59). This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened.

Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, ‘summer is nigh’ (Matt. 24:32). Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat!

(Neal A. Maxwell, “Meeting the Challenges of Today”, BYU Speeches, Oct 10, 1978)

 

The actions of government are the actions of men—performed by men at the command of men—and someone is going to be held morally accountable for every act performed in the name of government. In a republic such as ours, the someone is everyone—everyone who sanctions the act.

(Elder H. Verlan Andersen, “Many Are Called, But Few Are Chosen,” pp. 27)

I’m not willing to be held morally accountable for the actions of Trump. I will not vote for him.

It’s not enough to know that something is happening. We need to understand precisely what is happening so that our efforts will be focused in the right direction and in support of the right people.

Our immediate concern, however, is not with parties, groups, or persons, but with principles. We therefore commend and encourage every person and every group who are sincerely seeking to study Constitutional principles and awaken a sleeping and apathetic people to the alarming conditions that are rapidly advancing about us. We wish all of our citizens throughout the land were participating in some type of organized self-education in order that they could better appreciate what is happening and know what they can do about it.

(David O. McKay, The Improvement Era, June 1966, p. 477.)

I tried for many hours to find the original citation for this next quote, but couldn’t. For this reason, I would usually refrain from using this quote. However, I also couldn’t find any opposition to the legitimacy of this quote on the usual quote-checker platforms, such as Snopes, etc, so I think this disclaimer has been sufficient and I believe the principle holds true regardless of the authenticity of the quote. John Quincey Adams may have said:

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.

(President John Quincy Adams)

To continue, Click here to read Part 5 – My Feelings on Trump