why vote?

Judging the Impact of Your Vote

	In The Balance   Did You Know?: Of the 12 federal lawsuits filed in the past year—where one-man, one-woman marriage laws have been struck down as unconstitutional— nine of those judges were appointed by liberal presidents, and only three by conservative presidents? Visit our "State of Marriage" map to see how judges have ruled on marriage in your state. And then download our complimentary resource, Religious Freedom: Protecting How We Practice Our Faith.

We've all heard the adage, "What you reap is what you sow"—meaning actions (or inactions) have results, and sometimes consequences.
The same can be said for your vote on Election Day. One vote can have a ripple effect for years to come.
Often, when we prepare to cast our vote for a candidate for U.S. president or U.S. senate, we forget these future elected leaders will determine the judges who sit on our nation's federal courts. And in states where judges aren't elected, the governor and state legislature are usually involved.
To put this into perspective, consider this statistic:
Over the course of eight years, a two-term president will appoint around one-third of the nation's 900 federal judges to fill positions left vacant by attrition or retirement.
That's roughly 300 unelected, unaccountable federal judges who rule on a range of issues impacting your daily life, including your religious freedom.
And not all federal judges hold to the same philosophy—not by a long shot.
Conservatives generally favor judges who believe the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted to mean what the Founders understood it to mean. Liberals, however, often favor judges who believe in a "living Constitution" that's interpreted in light of changing trends and morality. These two judicial philosophies are in direct conflict.
A recent example of this philosophical "tug-of-war" happened in the town of Greece, N.Y., where the U.S. Supreme Court re-affirmed the right of city councils and other public bodies to begin their meetings with prayer. That decision was by a razor-thin 5-4 decision and split along conservative/liberal lines.
The freedom to pray in the public square was upheld by a single vote! So you see, your one vote does carry weight, and elections do have consequences.
Within the next few weeks, the Supreme Court justices will, once again, rule on another important religious freedom issue. In the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties cases, the justices will decide whether business owners must give up their religious rights when they decide to earn a living. Will we be in for another 5-4 ruling? And will the ruling be in favor of religious freedom?
Focus on the Family is offering a free, downloadable Religious Freedom guide that will help you understand the precarious state of religious freedom today, as well as help you get up to speed on knowing your constitutional rights.
Our religious freedom should not be subject to the whims of judges. Together, let's take up the challenge of securing our freedom for this and future generations.