“We the People: Have We Done Our Homework?”

Before We Demand Better Leaders, Maybe We Should Become Better-Informed Voters.

As Election Day approaches, I find myself experiencing a mixture of emotions. A little nervousness…A little uncertainty…A whole lot of questions…But also hope. And, believe it or not, a sense of pride.

Pride that we live in a place where we have a voice. Where we have the freedom to participate in choosing those who will represent us, make decisions that affect our communities, and help shape the direction of our future.

But somewhere in the middle of all those emotions, I find myself asking a question that I think deserves some serious consideration. Are we treating this responsibility with the seriousness it deserves? Or have we allowed ourselves to become so accustomed to the noise that we’ve forgotten the importance of doing our own thinking?

Because here’s something I want to challenge all of us to consider. Watching the news is not the same as knowing the candidates. Listening to a thirty-second soundbite is not the same as understanding someone’s convictions. Reading a headline is not the same as examining someone’s character. And repeating what your favorite political commentator said last night is certainly not the same as doing your own homework.

We’ve become remarkably comfortable allowing other people to tell us what we should think. The red commentators tell us one thing. The blue commentators tell us another. And somewhere in the middle, everyone else is trying to figure out which version of the story they’re supposed to believe.

Meanwhile, the people actually running for office sometimes become little more than names attached to political parties, campaign signs, and carefully edited video clips. But shouldn’t we want to know more than that?

Shouldn’t we want to know who these individuals really are? What do they believe? What matters to them? What have they actually done? How do they treat people who disagree with them? What do they envision for the communities they’re asking to serve? And perhaps most importantly: Do their values, their actions, and their vision align with the things I believe matter most?

Not what someone on television tells me should matter. Not what a political party tells me I must believe. Not what my friends, my neighbors, or even my family think I should do. But what I have determined matters through my own convictions, my own character, and my own willingness to listen, learn, and think.🤔

Here in Lompoc, we have an incredible opportunity that I think too many of us overlook. We can actually talk to the people running for office. They’re not all distant faces on a television screen. They’re our neighbors. People we encounter at community events, in coffee shops, at local businesses, and throughout our city.

Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know many of these individuals. I’ve sat with them, asked questions, listened to their perspectives, sometimes agreed, sometimes disagreed, and often walked away understanding something I hadn’t understood before. And here’s what I’ve learned.

A conversation can reveal things that a campaign advertisement never will. That doesn’t mean every conversation will change your mind. It doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly agree with someone. And it certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t examine their public record, their decisions, or the promises they’ve made. It simply means you’re willing to do more than accept someone else’s version of who they are.

So here’s my challenge as we approach Election Day. 

Turn down the noise for a little while…Put down the endless stream of political posts…Stop allowing headlines, interviews, and thirty-second clips to do all your thinking for you…And do a little homework!

Send an email…Make a phone call…Ask for a conversation…Invite someone to coffee…Attend a community forum…Ask the questions that matter to you…And then do something that seems increasingly difficult in today’s world – Listen.

Not just to find something you disagree with. Not just to prepare your next argument. But to understand.

Then examine what you’ve heard. Compare it with their actions. Look at their record. Consider the issues. Think about the future you want for your community. And make your own decision.

I’m not asking you to vote red. I’m not asking you to vote blue. I’m not asking you to vote for the person I might choose. I’m asking you to take your freedom seriously enough to think for yourself.

Because voting isn’t simply about filling in a circle on a ballot. It’s about recognizing that the privilege of having a voice comes with the responsibility of deciding how to use it. And while one vote may not determine the outcome of an election, that doesn’t make it meaningless. Your vote represents your participation. Your convictions. Your willingness to take responsibility for the community and the future we share.

But I wonder if we’ve spent so much time arguing about whether our votes matter that we’ve forgotten to ask whether we’ve done the work necessary to make an informed choice.

We demand accountability from those who seek to lead us. Shouldn’t we also expect a little accountability from ourselves?

Accountability to be informed…To ask questions…To listen beyond the noise…To consider perspectives beyond our own…And to make decisions based on something deeper than the last headline that made us angry.

Election Day will come. The ballots will be counted. Some candidates will win. Others will lose. And life in our communities will continue. But the responsibility of being engaged doesn’t begin or end at the ballot box. It belongs to us every day.

So, as we approach this election, I hope you’ll vote. But more than that, I hope you’ll think. I hope you’ll question. I hope you’ll have conversations that challenge you. And I hope that when you cast your ballot, you’ll do so with the confidence that comes from knowing you didn’t simply follow the loudest voice in the room. You took the time to find your own.

Because democracy deserves more from us than our opinions. It deserves our participation. Our curiosity. Our willingness to do the work. And perhaps that’s where the real power of our vote begins. Not with the mark we make on a ballot. But with the thought, the questions, the conversations, and the convictions that brought us to that moment.

Your vote matters – Make sure you’ve done the work to know why.