Time has a way of blurring for me. I have never once forgotten what day my wife’s birthday is on, but I frequently forget what the current day is. The same is true with holidays; they sneak up on me. This is equally true of election day. I have thought for months about November 5, 2024, but at the beginning of this week, I wasn’t thinking about the fact that it was next week.
That changed as people began to call me, text me, or drop by the office with a question about this state question or that judge. The trust that some others place in me on these matters is something I don’t take lightly (and I’m still a little amazed by it). Since the election is approaching rapidly, to streamline the process for you and me, I am writing out some thoughts on next week’s elections.
Which candidates am I endorsing?
None of them. Not a single one.
I always vote. Occasionally, I even donate or volunteer. But a few years ago, I stopped making any public endorsements of candidates. There are a couple of reasons for this.
First, I spent about 16 years of my adult life heavily involved in Republican Party politics. I served four terms as a county chairman. I was on the board of the Oklahoma Conservative Assembly for more than a decade, including about 5 years as president. I volunteered for candidates and even managed some campaigns. And I used to publish a list of candidate endorsements every election. I never even hinted about any of this from the pulpit, but it wasn’t a secret either. Unfortunately, the result was that when I preached about how the Bible applies to the issues we face, there were people who were able to dismiss what I said because they thought I was shilling for a candidate or party. I wasn’t, but I don’t even want to be perceived that way. The Word of God is the Word of God, and I want to be a spokesman for what it says, not how it benefits anyone politically.
Second, people aren’t always what they seem. Several years ago, there was a man that I had known since I was a teenager who ran for office. Knowing his policy positions and (what I thought was) his character, I wholeheartedly endorsed his candidacy. A few years later, he was convicted of sexual crimes against a minor. That quickly soured me on the idea of “endorsements.”
I don’t have a big platform, nor do I aspire to have one. But what platform the Lord has allowed me to have, I would rather use to discuss issues and promote Biblical perspectives on them. (And sometimes that requires calling out officials for violating Biblical principles.)
I don’t agree with/like any of the options…
You may be uncertain about what to do because you can’t get behind any of the options. I certainly understand that. I have a history of not getting the options I want. Do you remember when James Williamson was Governor of Oklahoma? Or Randy Brogdon or Dan Fisher? Me neither because they were eliminated in the primaries. Historically, the candidates I have really supported have rarely won primaries, leaving me with options I’m not crazy about. In those cases, you just do the best you can to find the candidate who most agrees with you or best represents your values.
In today’s world, it seems more common for Christians to find that every candidate has some unacceptable positions and neither shares your values. This was the case in a local race here in southwest Oklahoma, where a friend was telling me this week about the problems with both candidates. Assuming she had prayed about it and was seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, my advice to her was: If neither shares your values, but one is hostile toward your values and one is not, I’d go with the one who’s not. Admittedly, it was presented in a different context, but Jesus told His disciples, “He who is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40). It’s not ideal, but if the choice is between two pagan rulers, I’d prefer the one who isn’t trying to destroy us.
Or to paraphrase what I recently heard: If you can’t have Josiah, you may have to pick Jehu over Ahab.
If you’re considering not voting at all, let me gently suggest some resources to read or listen to before Tuesday.
Problems with the Supreme Court
There has been a public effort to unseat the three justices of the Oklahoma Supreme Court who are up for retention. Those supporting the justices have argued that the campaign against the three is motivated by business interests or a desire to support our State Superintendent, Ryan Walters. I don’t know who’s behind the ads, and I can’t speak to their motives.
However, there is something that troubles me deeply about all three justices. In 2023, the court found in OCRJ v. Drummond that there is a limited right to abortion in the Oklahoma Constitution when the Constitution says no such thing. Edmondson and Gurich were part of the majority decision affirming a constitutional right to abortion, and Kauger wrote a separate concurrence supporting the decision. (See the decision here.)
This is a problem for two reasons. First, they’re on the wrong side of the issue morally. Second, it is dangerous for one branch of government to usurp the authority of another. That is what has happened here. The courts don’t create policy; the legislature does. By interpreting the right to life found in the Constitution in such a way that it creates a right to abortion is to overstep the legislature—and, ultimately, the citizens.
Vice Chief Justice Rowe rightly dissented, writing:
The Oklahoma Constitution declares that all political power in this state is vested in the People. In today's post-Roe environment, abortion policy presents a political question that should be decided by the People.
Similarly, Chief Justice Kane made an excellent point in his dissent:
Driven most certainly by a commendable kindness of heart, the majority engages in legal contortions to protect pregnant women who are in medical peril by fashioning Oklahoma Constitutional precepts of abortion law that simply do not exist. There is no expressed or implied right to abortion enshrined in the Oklahoma Constitution. In interpreting our Constitution, this Court must guard against the innate human temptation to confuse what is provided in the Oklahoma Constitution with what one wishes were provided.
There is a difference between what the Constitution says and what we might wish it said. Even if we agree with the policy aims of a ruling (which, in this case, I don’t), every citizen should recognize the dangers involved when judges make law instead of our elected representatives. From my perspective, Justices Edmondson, Gurich, and Kauger should run for seats in the legislature if they want to insert a right to abortion into the state constitution. The Supreme Court is not the appropriate place to do so.
What about the other judges?
Keeping up with all the state courts would be a full-time job, and I already have plenty of those. Consequently, at election time, I have to turn to people I trust who do have time to follow the courts. My conservative sources have suggested the following.
Supreme Court: No on Edmondson, Gurich, and Kauger
Court of Criminal Appeals: Yes on Musseman; No on Lewis and Rowland
Court of Civil Appeals: Yes on Downing, Huber, Mitchell, and Prince; No on Bell and Gore
These are not personal endorsements from me; they are presented for your information as a starting point for further research.
What about State Questions?
State Question 833 amends the State Constitution to allow the creation of infrastructure districts. This allows the creation of an additional layer of government with the ability to incur bond debt and levy additional property taxes for the purpose of infrastructure.
State Question 834 clarifies that only US citizens can vote in the State of Oklahoma.
Closing thoughts…
No matter how things shake out next week, there are a few things that will still be true.
We are still called to show grace to others—even those with whom we disagree.
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person (Colossians 4:6, NASB).
We are still called to pray for those in authority.
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity (I Timothy 2:1-2, NASB).
Jesus is still King.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen (I Timothy 1:17).
Amen.