Christians, the Election is in Your Hands. It’s Time to Vote!
With the 2024 general election just six days away, Christians uniquely have the power to affect the course of our nation – if we get out and vote.
According to a recent study from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, an estimated 32 million self-identified Christians who are regular church goers are unlikely to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
The study concluded,
Over half of the citizens surveyed said they felt like their vote wouldn’t make a difference.
And yet, if just 1% of Christians who don’t plan to vote (or 320,000 Christians) decided to cast their ballots, they would number more than the deciding vote margin of the last two presidential elections combined.
To win the presidency, a candidate must receive a majority vote in the Electoral College. There are currently 538 electors, so the first candidate to reach 270 electoral votes will win the White House.
Each state has a certain number of electoral votes depending upon their population size. More populous states receive more electoral college votes. California has 54 electoral votes; Florida has 30 and Wyoming has 3.
There are seven states – Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin – that political prognosticators agree are likely to determine the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.
Photo from 270 to Win.
In 2016, former President Donald Trump bested former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by winning the three critical Rust Belt states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which combined to total 46 electoral college votes.
Those three states were decided by exceedingly close margins totaling less than 80,000 votes. President Trump won Michigan by 0.23% (10,704 votes), Wisconsin by 0.77% (22,748 votes) and Pennsylvania by 0.72% (44,292 votes).
In 2020, the presidency was decided by an even smaller margin – less than 43,000 votes. President Biden won Wisconsin by 0.63% (20,682 votes), Georgia by 0.23% (11,779 votes) and Arizona by 0.3% (10,457 votes).
If President Trump had won those three states, there would have been a 269-269 tie in the electoral college. A tie would have thrown the election to the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, where President Trump would likely have been reelected.
Similarly, in the razor-thin 2000 election, former President George W. Bush won Florida and its 25 electoral college votes by a margin of just 537 votes out of the 5,825,043 ballots cast. If then Vice President Al Gore had won 538 more votes in the Sunshine State, he would have been elected our country’s 43rd president.
Many political experts expect this years’ presidential election will be even closer than the 2016 and 2020 elections, potentially decided by an even fewer number of voters.
If you live in one of the seven battleground states, your vote is very important. But Christians who live in other states should still vote, because upsets can and do happen. Additionally, down-ballot races are also important and you may have important ballot measures to vote on as well.
Former President Thomas Jefferson is often quoted as saying, “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.”
In other words, your vote matters!
If you are a Christian, please get out and vote on or before November 5. Most polls close at 7 p.m. local time.
Also, please consider the free educational resources available below. And if you’re not registered to vote, you may still be able to register today.
Related articles and resources:
Join the Nationwide Prayer Call for the 2024 Election
Understanding the Importance of Voting
Join the ‘Great American Prayer’ Event Ahead of November’s Election
Christians, Consider These Eight Key Issues When Voting Your Values This November
Christians Have a Responsibility and Privilege to Get Engaged in Politics
Dear Christians, ‘Politics’ Is Not a Dirty Word
Are You Registered To Vote? If Not, Today is the Day to Do It.
5 Ways to Discuss Politics With Your Family
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Zachary Mettler is a writer/analyst for the Daily Citizen at Focus on the Family. In his role, he writes about current political issues, U.S. history, political philosophy, and culture. Mettler earned his Bachelor’s degree from William Jessup University and is an alumnus of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. In addition to the Daily Citizen, his written pieces have appeared in the Daily Wire, the Washington Times, the Washington Examiner, Newsweek, Townhall, the Daily Signal, the Christian Post, Charisma News and other outlets.
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