1. Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!

The Secret Ballot

Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by Salty, Nov 20, 2012.

  1. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2006
    Messages:
    13,977
    Likes Received:
    2
    In a political sense, I would openly talk about the candidate I am voting for and why in an election where a decent candidate is running and worthy of support. However in most of the Presidential elections since Reagan, I might occasionally mention a choice in passing, but would not go so far as bumper stickers, signs, or fund raising. Come on, Obama vs McCain and Romney...........I end up usually voting Republican with a clothes pen on my nose.

    At church, I keep votes to myself.
     
  2. thisnumbersdisconnected

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2013
    Messages:
    8,448
    Likes Received:
    0
    I think this hits at the crux of the issue. No, it isn't their business if you aren't going to actively campaign or at least argue for the qualifications of one candidate or endorse one side or the other -- or one viewpoint or the other -- in an election for going to a union shop, or a tax levy or whatever. Personally, I've never been shy about taking a stand and have always made my feelings known, so I'm not uncomfortable letting people know how I voted or how I will vote. I also understand some people aren't so willing to share their views publicly, and I respect that.

    There's a difference between intimidation (what you described here) and expressing an opinion. We are perfectly within our rights to attempt to sway others' opinions by reasoning with them. We are not within our rights when we use intimidation, as was done repeatedly during the last election in most of the inner city polling places.

    Our local Fox station in Kansas City videoed a middle aged overweight woman screaming and approaching in a menacing manner a young man who pulled up to the voting place in a pickup, demanding to know who he was voting for and vowing to prevent him from doing so if he gave the wrong answer. She was part of a crowd of people outside that polling places, crowds that were duplicated across the inner city. Fox4KC went to the county election board and asked to see election officials to show them the tape and get comment. They were told everyone was "too busy." That videotape wound up on Fox News Channel several times that day, and nothing was ever done. That is what you are describing above.

    With that, I disagree. Too many items voted on in a churchwide vote can be done "Yea" or "Nay." It doesn't make any sense to use secret ballot for all the items on an agenda.
     
    #22 thisnumbersdisconnected, Jun 25, 2013
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 25, 2013
Loading...