What appears in this article is not original material. IVoterGuide writer, Debbie Wuthnow, put together the following reasons why it is important for you, the reader and Virginia resident, to vote in the coming elections. COVID-19 has cast a pall on our great nation, but do not let it deter you in any way from casting your vote for candidates who deserve and have earned it

(debwuthnow@ivoterguide.com, May 18, 2020 “6 Ways that COVID-19 Shows How Elections Matter.”).

Wuthnow offers six ways that COVID has revealed why the elections this year matter so much, so here we go:

1. COVID-19 reminds us that elected officials can make life and death decisions.

Our elected officials have been and are calling the shots about how to manage the current pandemic that has affected Virginia greatly. Voting wisely so lawmakers who make those decisions matters!

2. COVID-19 reveals how vulnerable our religious liberties are.

In some states and municipalities churches have been singled out for special sanctions such as preventing drive-in church services. While this hasn’t been the usual practice, there have been enough instances to warn us that our freedom to worship is in jeopardy if liberals dominate public offices. The precedents have already been set!

3. COVID-19 reveals how vulnerable our civil liberties are.

While skid row in Los Angeles was virtually untouched by law enforcement, a lone surfer in California was fined. Another 22 people who were in parked cars enjoying the sunset were ticketed! A father was arrested for playing T-ball in a park with his son. And, pro-life counselors deemed ‘essential’ were none-the-less arrested even though they were practicing social distancing.

4. COVID-19 also reveals that many elected officials support religious and civil liberties.

From the top down, POTUS called for a national day of emergency prayer. The COVID task force prayed. US Attorney General Barr warned that local officials who violated constitutional rights would be in dangerous territory. And many local officials have permitted as much religious freedom as allowed under the law.

5. COVID-19 was the crisis by which some politicians stuffed special-interest pork into laws meant to help average Americans.

In addition to federal relief legislation helping millions of employers and employees, ‘relief funds’ were also channeled to wealthy universities and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, to name a few.

6. COVID-19 showed that the worldview of politicians matters.

Those most at risk for COVID are the elderly with comorbid health conditions like heart disease, diabetes and respiratory diseases. While politicians put their protection upper-most, they ignored the unborn and kept abortion centers open and functioning. Snuffing out the life of the voiceless is a prime concern of many liberal politicians.

Wuthnow says the COVID crisis reveals about these politicians their:

• Secularism vs. respect for religion.
• Lust for power vs. limited government.
• Socialist tendencies vs. free market.
• Pragmatism vs. fidelity to principle.
• Private ambition vs. public spirit.

And, may we add:

• Politics vs. statesmanship.

Your vote, my vote in 2020 in local, state and national elections has never been more important than this year!!! Our nation will either go strongly forward or will capitulate to the already evident downward trend toward socialism and even anarchy.

Because of social isolation, anyone of voting age qualifies for an absentee ballot and must apply immediately to be certain your ballot will arrive in time for the June primary and later for the November election.

If you haven’t registered to vote using an absentee ballot, please go to:

https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation:

“Both the May General/Special Elections and the June Primary dates have changed per the Governor’s Executive Order 56 and Executive Order 59. The Virginia Department of Elections encourages voters to protect their health during COVID-19 outbreak. Voting absentee in the coming May and June elections is strongly encouraged. Voters may choose reason “2A My disability or illness” for absentee voting in the May and June 2020 elections due to COVID-19. Voters who choose the absentee option should do so as soon as possible so they can get their ballots in time to return them by mail by Election Day. Apply online for a Virginia absentee ballot.  

Thanks for taking this matter to heart and assuring that your vote will count in the coming elections! God bless you!

— Posted by Tom Salmon for Doris, a fellow member of the Prince William and Manassas Family Alliance

Please note that today is the day the towns of Haymarket, Occoquan, and Quantico elect their officials. See pwcvotes.com. Therefore, if you live in one of these towns and you want to participate, you need to go to your voting location and cast your ballot. If you have an absentee ballot, and you forgot to send it in, take it with you so the election officials can void it and let you vote.

Need more convincing? Debbie Wuthnow has an article at IVoterGuide that provides us more generic reasons to vote, Why Vote?