295: The Further Down The Ballot, The Greater Your Voting Power

Every Life Matters episode makes itself applicable to the immediacy of the news and the times, but simultaneously, Mr. Johnston explains the times in their context.  He underscores the evergreen and important principles that are needed in these times. 

This episode is the penultimate episode leading up to November elections, 2022. Brian underscores the many misunderstandings that pro-life individuals have come to, and how those misunderstandings, once clarified and then acted on, could have a dramatic impact on the nation.  But this happens only through having a dramatic impact on one’s immediate community, their county, and their state. This is done through the lawmakers which they elect, and which represent each of those jurisdictions. 

The recent Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court decision, which nullified the Roe v. Wade decision, explicitly stated this principle. The authority to make abortion laws lies with each American citizen, and is done through their elected representatives.

All of these down-ballot jurisdictions are representative of the federal representative form of government which we have inherited in the United States. On the national level, that representative government is manifest through the two houses of Congress. Most reportage of the moment rightly focuses in this election on the critical decisions in balance within the United States House of Representatives  and the United States Senate. These are essential political battles. 

But without understanding the principles employed there, and how these representatives are hired at each election, the lack of clarity in civics has brought great harm to the pro-life movement.

Many efforts made by earnest pro-life individuals don’t actually accomplish a change in the laws. Activity is not the same as accomplishment. 

This specific episode equips Christians of all backgrounds and denominations and even non-Christians in the pro-life movement, with an understanding of appropriate civic actions.  These election activities are not arbitrary.  They lead to legal accomplishment by lawmakers on behalf of the vulnerable innocent child and of all vulnerable innocent human lives.

Brian quotes from Dr. Dobson’s, “Family Talk” program of a previous week.  In it, Dr. Dobson bemoans the fact that in presidential elections, 25 million Evangelicals don’t even register to vote nationwide. But it gets worse. In every general election, 65 million Evangelical voters will admit they will vote but they will not vote down the ballot and will leave blank whole sections of their ballot in what is known as down ballot races. The 65 million American Evangelicals are disproportionately very, very pro-life. Amazingly, the power of their vote is disproportionately more powerful in down ballot races. 

This power is because in a state wide race - for example California - typically 4 to 8,000,000 ballots can be cast (sometimes more!)  The difference of say 50 votes from one particular church in Pomona, California is mathematically a drop in a very, very large ocean. 

But as you descend down the ballot, (just as the properties of a nitrogen gas bubble expand the further down you descend), the value in properties of that ballot expand exponentially. 

California has 52 congressional districts - your vote is 52 times more impactful for your Congressional candidate than it is for a state-wide candidate. 

But continue down into the depths of civics.  As you go down to the very local level, those 50 votes are exponentially huge in the city of Pomona and further down in the separately segregated geographic portion of Pomona that’s known as a school district.  But go further. Go down to District 5 of the school district board. That church in Pomona is in that district. Those 50 votes are now absolutely dispositive. They will help determine the disposition of that election and many school board candidates are elected by much, much smaller margins than 50 votes 

That same ballot being cast by you has exponentially more power in speaking to your representatives as the Dobbs vs. Jackson decision directed.  Your voice is exponentially more powerful in your Congressional district and down to your very local community than it is state wide. 

So this is the reason in federal and state elections that it is critically important to work with a comprehensive pro-life team in civics. National Right to Life is the team of diverse pro-lifer’s. National Right Life PAC and its state affiliate pacs, allow your vote to have a great power on the state and federal level. 

Your efforts with your local pro-life chapter has incredible power - expansive nitrogen bubble expansion - at the great depths of your local school board. Your same vote has devastating impact in the fight to keep abortion advocates out of your local schools 

(I, of course, speak metaphorically and urge you to consider these things deeply and as you ascend make sure you decompress, taking this knowledge with you.  When you reach the surface please be natural about it. Go out and vote and vote with your local pro-life community.)

California Prolife and many of the affiliates of National Right to Life Committee provide an important voter information tool. Historically, these were paper voter guides. But with the advancement in technology and the vast numbers of local candidates, the new vote.californiaprolife.org allows any citizen in the state of California to download their mailing address where they receive their ballot and every pro-life candidate and issue on their local precinct ballot is presented. 

When pro-lifers vote pro-life, down the entire ballot, they change their communities, they change their counties, they change their members of Congress, they change their states. 

Again, this tool is available at the California Prolife website www.californiaprolife.org, at the specific url Vote.californiaprolife.org, and national information directing you to each and every state affiliate is available at nrlc.org.