On Sunday 10 April, the Prime Minster announced that the federal election would be held on Saturday 21 May. In Australia, as in several other countries, voting is compulsory. The debate around the issue of compulsory voting has a long history and there are many arguments both for and against the practice. One of the most common arguments made to support compulsory voting, and one that can be found on the Australian Electoral Commission’s website, is that it is a civic duty like paying taxes, compulsory education, and jury duty.
Years ago, I witnessed election day in another country. Compared with my experience of voting in Australian elections it was a dreary experience. The pre-election advertising was so pervasive that it was impossible to escape. On election day there were long lines at most polling stations as people waited many hours to cast their vote. There was not a democracy sausage or cake stall to be found anywhere. The televised counting was a dismal affair with none of the enthusiasm, insight, and good humour that the ABC’s Anthony Green supplies.
It is easy to become jaded about elections and voting. Although we do not suffer the saturation coverage and advertising that some countries endure, we do experience apparently endless political messages which bombard the airwaves and the internet. We also have the more recent experience of unsolicited text messages appearing on our phones at odd hours of the day and night. Add in the rumours of foreign interference and the dissemination of misinformation by various groups and individuals and all our sense of cynicism and suspicion about elections and politics in general continues to increase.
It is often said that clergy should refrain from telling people who to vote for and this is advice that I adhere to. Voting is both a private and public matter. Public in that the choices we make as individuals when we vote determine who will govern our country; private because we cast our votes in secret and anonymously.
I have seen people use and misuse the Bible to uphold all positions on the political spectrum. Similarly, I have encountered many people who would suggest that a Christian can and should only vote for a particular party or candidate. Even the most cursory examination of political history reveals that Christians have found themselves on all sides of politics and at times disagreeing with all sides of politics. Similarly, a survey of students at an Australian Bible college found that support was evenly split between both major parties, and neither would have been able to form a government based on the political preferences of the students.
Whilst the Bible does not endorse any political position, party or candidate to the exclusion of all others, it does give insight into how we should vote. In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi he gives the following instruction: “Each of you should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Phil 2:4). In this simple instruction, the apostle sets out a key aspect of how we should vote.
Because politics and voting are an expression of our own cherished beliefs and understandings, the way in which we vote may offer insight into how we see each party and candidate benefitting ourselves and those closest to us. We naturally cast our votes with our own lives and lifestyles in mind. Paul, mirroring Jesus’ great command to love our neighbours as ourselves, suggests that when we cast our vote we need to think not only of ourselves but the welfare and well-being of our neighbours, our friends, our families, those who are strangers to us, and even our enemies. In many countries, it is debated whether voting is a privilege or a right. I would rather see it as a civic responsibility and an opportunity to play a small part in directing the course of our country.
On Saturday, 21 May, we will cast our votes in the federal election (and hopefully enjoy a democracy sausage). As we consider how to vote, let us think not only of our own advantage but also the well-being of others.Andrew Heron
