From the Office of President Joe Fisher: The Importance of Your Vote
No matter how you may identify yourself politically, and regardless of policy issues that matter to you or to which you may be indifferent, voting in free elections is a special blessing inherent in the DNA of our democratic republic. This land we call the United States of America, “home of the brave.”
The best reasons I know to vote in national, state, and local elections are the same ones that have motivated U.S. citizens over more than 240 years in our country:
1) To select civic leaders accountable to us, who support and defend us, and honor their solemn oaths of appointment, often affirmed on the Book of Scripture, and
2) To help choose elected leaders who will preserve our domestic tranquility and provide opportunities for everybody in our land to live peaceably and freely pursue our individual vocations, avocations, and all the Constitutional rights guaranteed to every American.
The Hallmark University community stands in common agreement that we each have an individual responsibility to exercise our priceless right to vote. Some of us will vote in person while observing Covid-19 public health precautions. Others of us will vote remotely by mail after registering (visit https://www.bexar.org/1702/Register-to-Vote to register if you have not done so already). All of us voting do so in honor of several Character Traits that guide our community conduct: stewardship, integrity, and dependability. The Eagles Community of Hallmark University votes because we choose to live our values and become full community contributors by helping to choose leaders through our votes.
You know, voting history does not appear to be well balanced. When we look at the 2016 profile of voters in America, we see proportionally too few voting from some categories – many of these are the same communities that Hallmark University serves with intentionality. Voters younger than 30 and those from other demographic groups such as racial and ethnic minorities and lower-income Americans (i.e., those whose household annual earnings are less $30,000) voted disproportionately less often than others. Their voices were also unheard in many prior election cycles. All American voices should be heard and the best way for that to happen is if voters from every American community registered and then voted to express their preferences about candidates and propositions on the ballot box.
When more of us vote, the people’s collective voice is more clearly expressed. And, when we vote we honor our uniformed service members who sacrifice mightily, putting themselves in harm’s way to defend our U.S. and state constitutions, preserving the ‘better angels’ that America can be for our children and generations to follow. Many in uniform have died in our defense; many never come home. Freedom is not free. We have civic work to do.
Our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serve that we might exercise our Constitutional rights. Among them is the right to vote in free and fair elections. So, vote! Do it to honor their sacrifices and their trust in us, their fellow citizens – that we might each do our part and together fulfill our foundational civic responsibilities.
-Joe Fisher, President and CEO of Hallmark University