Be careful what you vote for

Published 2:50 am Wednesday, November 1, 2023

By Harold Brummett

Demark Star Route

Another time to vote is here. If the primaries are any indication, just a small percentage of eligible voters will actually voice input to our system of government. 

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When you vote for a candidate you may emotionally vote for a who, but in reality you are voting for a what. What does the candidate stand for, what will they do when elected, what is the hidden agenda behind their candidacy, what will they say to you after the election when they no longer need your vote? 

Few voters take the time to read the party platform of their chosen candidate. The platform tells you plenty about ‘the what’ the person will work toward. Sometimes a candidate will say when pressed that there is some part of the platform of their party that they really don’t believe in and yet, they stand with that party and that belief. 

Sometimes voters will vote for the prettiest, most handsome or someone who has the most to give to a charity. Lincoln or Taft wouldn’t have been elected today. Voters plugged into social media form opinions on the squishy basis of like or dislike not the solid foundation of research and critical discussion. 

 COVID was used as cover for the lawyer elite to bypass promises made before the last election; do you know enough about the candidates to predict their stance on issues important to you?  

The candidates sometimes say outright what they plan knowing that the majority of the electorate will ignore the warning signs. Sometimes the candidates will try to become chameleons and change what their goals are depending on the constituents in front of them at the moment. 

Supervisor candidates employed by the city cannot take care of their constituents. The Bible says no man can have two masters. Working at the pleasure of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen and an obligation to the county as a whole is like oil and water, it just will not mix. 

What will that candidate do, listen to the constituent or the person that signs their check? 

Only a few days left to determine the “what” you will vote for. Local and state candidates affect our lives on a daily basis. They can add to our day-to-day burden or help relieve that governmental, bureaucratic worry, depending on what they do.