Is Your Vote Based on Personality or Principles?

Personalities, we each have one.  Some of us are quiet, others outgoing, some are bossy and others are detail oriented.  If you haven’t noticed, not all personality types mesh.  There are certain personality types that just butt heads.  In fact, opposite personality types frequently clash¹.  If you stop and think about it, I bet there is someone who comes to your mind that you do not get along with.  I remember one day contemplating my relationship with a certain individual, I suddenly realized that the person was not a bad person, we just didn’t get along.  Our personalities clashed.  I think too often, we write people off due to their personality, rather than really looking at who they are as a person.  This train of thought has me thinking about elections and the voting process.  Are we voting based on a candidate’s personality or their policies?

Too often, I hear people say they will not vote for so and so because of the person’s personality.  Conversely, I have heard people say they will be voting for someone because they like them.  I am always stunned by this.  There are people I like that I would never vote for because what they stand for violates principles that I hold dearly.  According to people who met Hitler, he had a charismatic personality² yet look at the policies he espoused.

As we walk through this election season, I urge us all to start voting with our heads rather than our emotions.  Truly consider what the candidates stand for.  Yes, I said stand for.  Listen to their words and inspect their actions.  Right now, we have two people running for president of the United States who have taken decisive action in office that reveal who they are and what they stand for.  Look into each candidate’s policies and records, and see which candidate aligns with your values.  This same principle applies to all local, state and national elections.

Where do you personally stand on abortion (killing of babies in the womb), economy, southern border immigration, environment, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, etc?  Take a deep dive into the candidates and see what they have stood for.  Pay attention to the actions they have and have not taken.  A person can say anything, it is what they do that matters.

I encourage you to vote based on policies and principles rather than personality.  It takes courage and effort to lay down our emotions and use our brains, but it is well worth it.  You and I are accountable for the policies we support based upon our votes.  I hope we all take this responsibility very seriously.  

 “Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.”

Ezra 10:4 ESV

1. Which personality types are most likely to clash at work? | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/05/which-personality-types-are-most-likely-to-clash-at-work/ Accessed 8/19/2024
2. The dark charisma of Adolf Hitler | HistoryExtra https://www.historyextra.com/period/second-world-war/dark-charisma-adolf-hitler-personality/ Accessed 8/19/2024