I often hear Orthodox Christians who are understandably frustrated with our political system make statements like: "Why should I vote? What difference does it make?" We have two contemporary saints that comment on the subject.
In the biography "Saint Paisios of Mount Athos," by Hieromonk Isaac (which I highly recommend), we find St. Paisios dealing with similar comments. When asked how to vote, he would say:
“Vote for the one you believe it is best; the one who loves God and our country.”
But when he would hear the answer: "They are all the same, Father." he would reply:
"Well, look here. All olive trees are the same; all of them are affected by the same disease called dakos. However, some are affected 100% by it, others 80% and others 50%. Since we are in need of olive trees, we have to look for the ones that are affected the least. When we go to vote, we should always bear in mind two things: a) how much the candidate loves God and is thus a conscious member of the Church, and b) how much he loves his country and look solely after its interests and not his own. If someone uses another criterion to vote, he is acting out of self-interests and is not behaving like a true Christian. Later on, divine justice will allow him to pay for his mistake."
When this quote has been cited, the response some make is that we live in a Non-Orthodox country, and so don't have people who love God, like St. Paisios is referring to. But this brings us to the second contemporary saint who commented on this subject, and said almost the same thing, but was speaking about American elections. The Elder Ephraim has not been officially glorified yet, but he undoubtedly will be. Back during the 2008 presidential election, a group of people asked him how they should vote. A person who knew the Elder (whom I know well and consider a trustworthy source) said that the Elder told them that they should vote for John McCain. Several people became very indignant because they favored Obama, and so they began to point out all the bad things John McCain had done. Then he said:
“Look, they both have horns, you have to vote for the one with the smaller horns.”
John McCain was a very flawed candidate. He was a neocon who supported many wars that brought death and devastation to many people around the globe. However, he did have a pro-life record in terms of his votes related to abortion, and that is perhaps why the Elder considered his horns to be smaller. The choice in that election was certainly not a slam dunk question, but the Elder taught people to vote, and what criteria they should use.
Not everyone is going to agree who has the smallest horns in an election, but we should pray that God would give us the wisdom to make discerning choices.
In order to vote, you of course need to register to vote. Which you can do online. Prior to an election, if you live in Harris County, you can view the ballot ahead of time, and then do your own digging to determine who to vote for. Personally, I use voter guides put out by pro-life Christians, such as the Link Letter, or the Houston Area Pastors Council. I don't always go with their recommendations, but especially in primaries, where there are many candidates that I don't know anything else about, these voter guides give me some idea of how to sift through the options.
If you live in Harris County, you can also find where you can vote in early voting, or on election day by going to Harris Votes. If you live in one of the surrounding counties, there are probably similar websites run by your county clerk's office.
One other thing to consider, if you don't think it matters who you vote for, consider how different states and counties reacted to the Covid lockdowns. Some closed business and churches, and had very repressive policies... some even preventing people from sitting on their own porch. Obviously, it mattered a lot then, and it didn't just matter who was in the White House, which is why you should pay attention to local elections, because in many ways those officials have a lot more power over your daily life than anyone in Washington, D.C.
