Latest / Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo / Debbie Wuthnow: Why Don’t Millions Of Christians Vote?

Transcript

Debbie Wuthnow: Why Don’t Millions Of Christians Vote? · Worldview Matters With David Fiorazo

0:00
Welcome to World View Matters, discussing controversial issues, discerning current events,
0:10
defending biblical Christianity.
0:13
No topic, off limits.
0:16
And now, here's your host, David Fiorazo.
0:20
Welcome friends, family and Christ.
0:22
God bless you.
0:23
Thank you so much for being here.
0:25
Today's guest in an article, and I love this article over at the stream called Why Should
0:29
I Vote from a few years ago, very important.
0:31
She says this, whatever the reason for voting, it all comes down to duty.
0:37
Our nation was born from stouthearted patriots who knew their duty and did it even when
0:44
the odds were against them.
0:47
So even when there are concerns about the integrity of the election process, there's still
0:53
a civic responsibility to vote.
0:55
By arming ourselves with facts and testing those facts against prayerful reflection and
1:02
biblical values, we can be assured that we have made informed choices and have carried
1:11
out our duty regardless of the outcome.
1:15
Excellent article.
1:16
We'll be talking a little bit more about that.
1:17
But our guest today, Debbie Wathnow, president of I Voter Guide in the website is I Voter
1:25
Guide dot com.
1:27
It's a division of American Family Association action.
1:30
That's a F A action.
1:33
Debbie also holds a master's degree in computer science from Princeton University.
1:37
She worked as a systems engineer at AT&T and Bell Laboratories for five years.
1:42
She joined I Voter Guide back in 2011 as a data analyst and was named president in 2018.
1:50
After her leadership, I Voter Guide has evaluated over 13,000 candidates and educated 6.8 million
1:58
voters in 2022.
2:01
Debbie is the organization's spokesperson.
2:03
She and her husband Mark live in Austin, Texas and they have three children.
2:07
Debbie Wathnow, welcome to World View Matters.
2:10
That's a pleasure to be here, David.
2:12
Good to see you.
2:13
Very important topic today.
2:14
Friends, don't tune out.
2:15
We're going to talk about voting because as you get into millions of Christians, don't vote.
2:23
And I don't know how many aren't even registered.
2:25
We'll get to that.
2:26
So first, Debbie, how did you get involved with I Voter Guide?
2:31
And now, of course, the American Family Association, who I love.
2:35
I really love the work that they do.
2:36
So tell us about a little bit of that.
2:38
Well, I was not the founder of I Voter Guide.
2:40
I say that I Voter Guide was a tapestry woven by God.
2:44
There was a legislative lobby here that worked in Texas.
2:47
His name was Richard Ford back in, you know, for decades, getting conservative legislation
2:52
passed.
2:53
And he had this light bulb moment that I know most of my legislators, but I have not ever
2:58
voted an intelligent ballot from the top of the ticket to the bottom of the ticket.
3:03
And this was back in like 2006.
3:05
So he filled a binder with research on all of the candidates for his in Dallas County.
3:11
He gathered their campaign finance data.
3:13
He gathered how they've been scored by different conservative and liberal groups for the legislators.
3:19
He got their endorsements.
3:20
He sent them all a survey.
3:22
He filled a four inch binder with research.
3:24
Then he gathered his friends around a conference table.
3:27
Now he was well connected.
3:29
People like David Barton and other conservative names you would recognize around the conference
3:33
table gave them each a binder and they graded every candidate.
3:37
And then they printed it and passed it out of churches.
3:39
Well, that's one thread of the tapestry.
3:42
Another thread was a retired IBM programmer in Austin who had served on his local school
3:47
board, had written Bible study software, and he God gave him the idea to create a voter
3:52
guide that was on the internet.
3:54
But he didn't allow to do a voter guide.
3:57
So God, your connections brought Richard and Jim together and Jim pitched his idea to
4:02
Richard and Richard held up that four inch binder and said, wait a minute.
4:05
You can put this on the internet.
4:08
Jim said yes.
4:09
So that was 2006 and they started just looking at the whole methodology of looking at what
4:15
a candidate does.
4:16
Not just what they say they're going to do, which is why they look at the actions and
4:20
the research and the campaign finance data and how they've voted if they've held office.
4:25
I voter guide began in 2008 in Texas in the five largest counties.
4:29
In the next couple of years, they continued to do that in Texas.
4:33
It was after the 2010 election when Richard and Jim said, you know what?
4:37
Texas is okay.
4:38
The rest of the nation needs help.
4:39
A voter guide went nationwide in 2012.
4:42
And that's when I came on board as a mom in my Bible study.
4:45
I asked my teaching director to be a job reference.
4:48
When I want to ask God, what do you want me to do with my empty nest?
4:51
My teaching director was married to Jim Snareinger and the guy who programmed it.
4:55
And she came back and said, you know what?
4:57
My husband programs this online voter guide and he's been complaining at the dinner table
5:01
that he needs somebody to help him with this website.
5:03
You have a computer science degree.
5:04
You haven't used it in a while, but he can train you.
5:06
Are you interested?
5:07
I view this as a calling from God because I represent the average Christian who knows
5:13
I need to vote, but I need information on who to vote for.
5:17
So that's what God brought me in.
5:19
I voter guide have been growing it ever since then.
5:21
And you know, as you said, we've up to 13,000 candidates in 2022, almost seven million
5:27
voters and just the more information we can find, that more helpful voters find it.
5:32
So it's been a blessing to be a part.
5:35
And in 2021, I AFA became our parent organization.
5:40
So praise God for and how important is this?
5:44
And we see the state of our country and we see maybe two possible directions we could
5:49
go here.
5:50
Maybe with every election, but we learned a lot in the last couple of years and what, how
5:57
we can decline so quickly as a nation morally, spiritually, economically, our southern border,
6:03
everything else.
6:04
But that's for another podcast, Debbie.
6:06
One of the descriptions of I voter guide, it says it's known today for its accuracy.
6:11
And in integrity in researching and evaluating candidates on the ballot and equipping Christians
6:18
to vote wisely and be good stewards of their citizenship.
6:22
So let's talk about that.
6:24
I mean, there's several points we could bring out of that.
6:26
We'll get to the good stewards of our citizenship later.
6:29
Obviously, we are dual citizens.
6:31
Our citizenship is in heaven as believers, but we are citizens of the United States.
6:36
And if we love our neighbor, we have responsibility to vote because legislation will impact their
6:41
children, their lives, our lives.
6:43
But let's talk about the integrity in researching and evaluating candidates and everything we
6:49
talk about, obviously, on this show, World View Matters is from the biblical worldview.
6:54
Because if we aren't looking at the world, if we aren't looking at our culture, if we're
6:57
not looking at Washington, politics, legislation from the biblical worldview, and if we're in
7:03
the church, we're in a lot of trouble.
7:06
So this is very helpful.
7:07
Go ahead and share whatever else you would like to.
7:10
Well, that whole philosophy that Richard started with in 2006 when he filled his binder
7:14
is carried forward.
7:16
So we look at data points, which is a very research-oriented data-driven voter guide.
7:22
We average about four hours of research on every candidate really seeking the truth.
7:28
So we, in this last year, redefined one of our values to be objective truth, which comes
7:34
from God.
7:35
He is the source of truth.
7:36
And we know that candidates sometimes will say one thing and do something else.
7:41
So that's why we research them.
7:43
And we're gathering their scorecards.
7:45
We go to both conservative groups and liberal groups that score candidates both at the state
7:50
level and at the federal level and have downloaded their scorecards.
7:53
So they're covering issues that are all very important to a Christian worldview.
7:58
Where do they stand on the right to life on religious liberty, even immigration and
8:04
fiscal issues?
8:05
We look at all of the issues that could be important to a Christian conservative voter.
8:11
And so those are the scorecards.
8:13
Add to that campaign finance data.
8:14
So that was what I did when I first came on board, is I downloaded the database from the
8:19
Federal Election Commission.
8:20
We imported it into our system because what somebody does with their pocketbook is pretty
8:26
telling about what is important to them.
8:28
So we research not only who as somebody as an individual given money to, meaning that
8:34
my personal money, I align with this person.
8:36
I agree with the right to life or plan parenthood.
8:39
You know what types of groups or candidates.
8:42
And then we also have information on their campaign and who they've accepted money from.
8:47
All the data.
8:48
And then we have this army of volunteers who researches and evaluates every candidate.
8:53
We'll get into more.
8:55
So lots of data because because it's a responsibility to know the truth and to vote for people who
9:01
share your values.
9:02
And you can't know that that research.
9:05
And that's really the lane that God has called I voter guide to serve in is that that research
9:10
on to give to become a tool to equip Christians to be that good steward of that responsibility.
9:16
So Debbie, you're based in Texas and you have volunteers.
9:20
Does this happen in state by state?
9:23
How does that all work?
9:24
Because I'm sure there are a lot of states that say I want more information on my candidate.
9:28
And who do they get in touch with?
9:29
How does that work?
9:30
Well, I voter it is nationwide.
9:32
We went nationwide in 2012.
9:34
So ever since then we've covered all the federal candidates.
9:36
So Senate and Congress in all 50 states.
9:40
And every year we've kind of grown into more states at the state legislative and state wide
9:45
level.
9:46
So this election cycle, there are 37 states where we're covering all their statewide
9:50
races, governor, attorney general, even state supreme court, judges, even state board of
9:57
education, you know, every if it's on your statewide ballot in those 37 states, I voter
10:02
guide will be researching and evaluating all of those candidates.
10:06
And then there are 32 states that have elections this year where we are researching the state
10:11
Senate and the state legislative races.
10:14
And even beyond that, we are in 2021, we started covering some school board races because
10:20
we can get into the whole importance of local elections, but that's where it's even harder
10:25
to find information.
10:26
And I voter guide has started to research key select school boards across the nation.
10:31
And it's really easy for you to use because if you go to I voter guide dot com, you enter
10:37
your voting address, your, you know, your residential address where you registered to vote
10:42
in that little white box, then you click the gold box, show me my voter guide.
10:46
And we will personalize and just show you the races and the candidates that are on your
10:51
ballot.
10:52
So you don't have to know I'm in congressional district three and state Senate district
10:56
10.
10:57
We just show you the ones on your that we cover.
11:00
And you can see the rating we've done for every candidate and as well as click into
11:04
the research.
11:05
So every tool that we can gather is at your fingertips.
11:08
I mean, friends, you can understand how this is an important issue and topic.
11:14
I know it's only April, but we've got a huge election coming up in November and too many
11:21
people put it off and wait to the last minute to try to scramble around, get information
11:26
on who's on the ballot, other than, you know, president and vice president and maybe
11:30
your senators.
11:31
But this is so important.
11:34
Debbie, it says one in three Christians don't vote consistently.
11:39
So that means they're registered, but maybe they don't like who's on the ballot.
11:45
That's one of the questions I was going to ask you.
11:47
So what if they're responsible?
11:48
They're a believer in Christ and they want to vote biblically and they go, ah, the lesser
11:54
of two evils, right?
11:55
They don't like who's on the ballot.
11:57
How do you respond to that?
11:58
Well, you still need to do your research.
12:00
There are people who don't want to vote because they don't like the candidates on the ballot.
12:04
Unfortunately, Jesus is not going to be on the ballot and the rest of us are all sinners.
12:08
So you get to choose the ones who think more like you do and, you know, we're all sinners.
12:14
So doing that diligent research, but, you know, even if you don't like the candidates
12:18
that are on the ballot, it doesn't take away your responsibility to be salt light and to
12:23
let your voice be heard.
12:25
So doing the due diligence, doing the research, um, going to iVoterGuide.com to research
12:30
those candidates.
12:31
So you said one in three.
12:33
That is true in the November election this year, right, the presidential election because
12:37
turnout is on average 60% of registered voters in a presidential election year.
12:43
But there are a lot of elections happening now.
12:46
They're called primary elections and the average turnout in primary elections is only 20%
12:52
of registered voters and that's only registered voters so that the percentage of Americans
12:57
drops because only 65% are registered.
13:01
But there's other elections that are happening.
13:02
In fact, we have one May 4th in Texas called local elections.
13:06
Our school boards are going to be on the elect on the ballot.
13:08
May the 4th.
13:09
Average turnout in a school board election is only 6%.
13:14
So in a primary, it's only one in 20 people who vote in a local election, it skyrockets.
13:21
So your vote makes a difference and you need to vote in every election, especially the
13:26
primary.
13:27
If you don't like the candidates that are there in November and you didn't vote in the
13:30
primary, it's your fault.
13:31
You need to participate, potentially maybe run for office.
13:35
If there's nobody good on the ballot, challenge you, God may be calling you to be that light
13:40
and to put your name out there, but you've got to vote in every election, it really is
13:46
important.
13:47
Boy, if we lost some of our influence as believers in this culture and I'm thinking
13:52
because of those local, the primary elections, spring elections, primaries, these are some
13:57
of the most important because they affect our communities locally, school boards, sheriff,
14:03
you know, all these, and I'm thinking, wow, the numbers you just cited with that few
14:08
amount of people.
14:09
Anyway, we've got to take a brief pause with Debbie Wuth now, iVoterGuide.com, we'll
14:14
be right back.
14:15
Introducing Patriot Mobile, the wireless carrier that stands with you, we are committed
14:21
to supporting the values that make our nation great.
14:25
With affordable plans and reliable nationwide coverage, Patriot Mobile is not just a wireless
14:31
service, it's a call to action for those who believe in the American truth.
14:38
Because this year is not just any year, it's the most important year since our nation's
14:44
founding, choose a wireless carrier that shares your values, choose Patriot Mobile.
14:54
Get free activation now with promo code, David.
15:04
Friends, if you know someone who might be interested in sponsoring World View Matters, send
15:08
an email to our producer, WorldView Matters at FPEUSA.org, you can always go to our website,
15:17
of course, worldviewmatters.tv.
15:20
We are blessed to have Debbie Wuth now with us, she's the president of iVoterGuide and
15:26
vice president of American Family Association Action, AFA Action.
15:30
Debbie, I see that I was looking up your info and just searching your name, what you've
15:36
been a part of and our friend Alex McFarlane, he was just on with us a few weeks ago.
15:41
He had you on, truth and liberty coalition over there at truth and liberty.
15:45
Sure you've been on a lot of shows like that and we are all kind of trying to do similar
15:51
work in different ways, different ministries, we're trying to raise awareness, we're trying
15:55
to educate, we're trying to inform some are trying to equip the saints.
16:00
Like we mentioned our friend Paul Blair, Liberty Pastors, they're coming to Milwaukee, friends
16:05
in a couple of weeks, you know, David Barton is going to be there actually in Milwaukee
16:09
and so we're trying to get people equipped and formed and then they go back and they
16:14
disciple because I want you to comment on this, I wasn't planning on it but what I just
16:19
said, the left, the Marxists, they the secular progressives have done an excellent job and
16:28
I'm not saying this is good, they've done an excellent job at making disciples and
16:34
recruiting for the enemy and we believers in Christ due to our lack of influence, salt
16:41
and light, we have not done that great of a job when it comes to making disciples and
16:46
recruiting for Jesus, just your thoughts on that as being ambassadors for Christ.
16:50
Well, it's a discipleship issue and it really comes down to this nation's at a spiritual
16:56
inflection point where what really the solution we need is spiritual revival where more people
17:03
love Jesus and part of it I will point in a way to pastors and what they've taught because
17:08
they've stepped away from the founding principles, sure Paul talked about this and, you know,
17:14
if you're not getting teaching on it, well how would people know?
17:18
So it comes from parents, it comes from the leadership of the church and you know, when
17:22
they are falling down, we need to seek other places to get that information so I love podcasts
17:27
like you and my truth and liberty and others who are encouraging Christians that we have
17:33
the responsibility to be part of the public square, part of that is voting and, you know,
17:40
we love working with all those other groups that are encouraging and discipleshiping,
17:44
discipling and training, citizens and in courage, encouraging Christians to vote, but the
17:49
first question they have after they say, okay, great, I'll vote, who do I vote for?
17:53
And that is why I burger guy was created.
17:56
So I saw a recent interview with Paul Blair with Steve Dase and they were talking about
18:01
this issue, they were talking about getting Christians informed, educated, but it starts
18:04
with the pulpit and AFA has done a wonderful job trying to get people to encourage their
18:11
pastors to engage because as I think it was Don Wildman, Tim's dad was talking about,
18:20
he wrote something I quoted him years ago, how some 300,000 plus pulpits have been silent
18:27
on some of the most pressing moral, biblical, they call them political now, right, issues
18:35
like abortion, you know, removing a pre-born human life from a mother's womb, that's
18:40
a quote, and unquote, political issue, right, no, that's a moral issue, friends, if we
18:44
can't get pastors to talk about these things, we're in a lot of trouble, that's part of
18:49
the battle.
18:50
So Debbie, you're trying to equip and inform believers to give them information so they
18:56
can go to the polls knowing about the candidates that they are endorsing that they're voting
19:02
for, before we get into some numbers about voting or not voting, just share a little bit
19:08
more, just your heart on this issue, whether it's pastors, whether it's the average Christian
19:14
and our responsibility, I mean, and one more thing, before you comment, a lot of people
19:19
I've heard from have been discouraged because of what happened in 2020, well, that happened
19:24
and it was a, anyway, that we've talked about that quite a bit, there will always be fraud
19:31
in every election, there will be corruption in every election because you're dealing with
19:34
man, you're dealing with people who think they can justify lying to get their guy in
19:40
or get whatever, but this is how we're dealing with and one of them said in an interview,
19:45
I think it was Paul that said, that's why we need to overwhelm the ballot box with Christians
19:52
and with people at the biblical world, because then elections wouldn't even be close, now
19:56
I'll get off my soap box, Debbie, you're the guest on there with you, you're preaching
20:01
it, you know it, so we all, it's our calling is what God calls us to be salt and light
20:07
and salt and light isn't, it doesn't happen just on Sunday mornings in your church.
20:11
That happens throughout your life, throughout your day at soccer games, at PTA meetings,
20:16
you're, you know, everywhere that happens, you need to be representing a biblical issue.
20:21
So it's not politics, it's biblical and representing what God taught us to do.
20:26
And so I love that the, you're teaching this, I love that Paul's teaching and David Barton
20:31
has fabulous instructions, so does truth and liberty.
20:35
We each need to take the personal responsibility to learn what's involved, to be able to speak
20:40
to those issues, Jim Garlo has written some great books about, you know, if your pastor's
20:44
not teaching on what the Bible says, there's a well-versed, the Jim Garlo created, there's
20:49
other podcasts that are out there.
20:52
And we all just need to be more comfortable sharing what, what we know and knowing the
20:58
God's word and knowing what the candidates stand for.
21:01
I have heard from people that help I voter guide in rating candidates, because we teach
21:05
them more about what to look for, to know what a candidate stands for, what they believe
21:09
in.
21:11
Those ratings that you'll see at I voter guide are done by volunteers, that we vet, that
21:15
we train, that we share with them all the research we've gathered.
21:19
And then we ask them to read through their website, read through their social media, do
21:23
some internet searching, really dig deep on this candidate and try to glean their political
21:29
philosophy, but flavored by their biblical worldview.
21:32
Because if we know their values, that'll help us to know how they'll vote on issues that
21:37
aren't even, we don't even know they're going to be an issue.
21:39
I mean, who would have known mask mandates were going to be an issue with the pandemic.
21:45
So knowing somebody shares your values is something I voter guide tries to glean.
21:49
It is questions we ask on our questionnaire.
21:52
They are topics that we're revealing about candidates, because we need to know that God
21:57
taught us an exodus to choose leaders who fear God, who value truth and not dishonest
22:03
gain.
22:04
So I voter guide is there to both educate you about those issues, but also to equip you.
22:08
So we also write emails once a week that, you know, you guys have great podcasts daily.
22:13
We write weekly emails about what do certain jobs that are on the ballot do, just their
22:19
civics education.
22:20
What does the Bible say about immigration or parental rights or what can we learn about
22:25
campaign finance about a candidate on our ballot?
22:27
So I would encourage you to sign up for our emails to volunteer is one of our panelists,
22:32
because we've heard for them, but not only do they feel they're performing a valuable
22:35
service in rating candidates, they learn what to look for in races and candidates that
22:40
I voter guide doesn't cover yet.
22:42
So they're a more educated voter when they go to vote for school board candidates or
22:45
their city council or their mayor or their sheriff.
22:48
So I don't know if I got back to your question.
22:51
Yeah.
22:52
I mean, we'll just keep going here.
22:54
Proverbs 1434, I see you quoted that recent in an article, righteousness, exultation, but
23:01
sin is a reproach to any people.
23:04
So back to that question, you say scripture reveals what government should look like.
23:12
Tell us a little bit more about how we've just got four minutes left about being salt
23:15
and light and what that means when it comes to our government impacting politics, legislation,
23:21
or government.
23:22
Well, God created government in Romans and you know said that he ordained civil government
23:28
to be friends good.
23:29
If government is not reflecting what what your about our values are, it's because we
23:34
haven't participated in it.
23:35
It's lost.
23:36
It's God given purpose.
23:38
And you know, we saw what happened in Israel when they strayed from biblical values.
23:42
We're seeing what's happening in America when we're straying from biblical values.
23:45
So, you know, we are salt and light.
23:48
If the salt's lust is taste, we need to get re-discipled.
23:53
We need to plug back into the source of our saltiness, which is Christ and understanding
23:59
his role for us in this world to represent him.
24:03
Spend time in the word, spend time in prayer, spend time praying for the people that we've
24:07
elected to represent us.
24:09
They have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.
24:13
And we need to be lifting them up and holding them accountable.
24:16
And part of that accountability is not just, you know, when it's time to vote on a bill,
24:20
but it's when they're on the ballot the next time.
24:23
If they're not being salt and light, if they're not representing what's important to us,
24:26
we need to dig for that information about them and then hold them accountable to that.
24:32
We forget the power that we have as believers, as citizens who can vote.
24:38
And I can just can't stand hearing the response, well, I'm only one person.
24:42
There's only one vote.
24:43
Well, okay.
24:44
Well, what a 40 million people thought that way.
24:46
And by the way, as many as 40 million Christians or professing Christians do not vote in presidential
24:54
elections.
24:55
And that's the big one, right?
24:56
I mean, you got the local elections, the primaries, but November.
25:00
So friends, we're going to title this podcast, no excuses, you know, for Christians.
25:06
Because regardless, the outcome is out of our hands, right?
25:10
There will always be fraud and cheating, but we need to overwhelm that system by getting
25:14
believers to the polls to vote, aye, voterguide.com, aye, just the letter, aye, voterguide.com,
25:23
Debbie, your final thoughts to try to just encourage us because as what's happening in our culture
25:28
and government, it's going to be a long year, but it's a big election in November.
25:33
Go ahead.
25:34
No matter what happens this year, as you said, I will say, I always say shenanigans will
25:37
happen.
25:38
That doesn't remove our responsibility.
25:41
We need to get ourselves, our family members, our neighbors encourage them to vote, use
25:46
our voter guide as a resource to help you vote.
25:49
And you know, when you think your one vote might not matter for president, there are
25:54
races that swing on 10, 12, there was a congressional candidate, one by six votes, every vote matters.
26:02
And if you want to take over your school board, get your local church engaged because frequently
26:06
it's hundreds of votes that will be the winning difference in a school board.
26:10
A large mega church can take over a school board.
26:13
It has happened and it can happen again if God's people will just step up, understand
26:18
the power that they have in we the people.
26:20
That's the blessing of being an American is the the republic.
26:24
Understand do the do the due diligence, make your voice heard and you can be salt and
26:28
light and impact the government.
26:30
Amen.
26:31
Elections determine legislation and what happens, what gets passed down to us.
26:37
What you said, hundreds of votes can sway an election, a school board, a different position.
26:43
So these are all important things, friends, we'll be talking about it for months, but don't
26:48
wear down, get tuned this out because it's such an important topic, Debbie, thank you
26:53
for the work that you do.
26:54
Thank you for your time.
26:55
And again, friends, the website I voter guide dot com, make sure you bookmark that because
27:00
we're going to need it, appreciate all that you're doing.
27:03
Thank you, God bless you.
27:04
Thanks.
27:05
All right, guys.
27:06
Yeah, such an important topic.
27:08
I know a lot of believers, I hear from too many people that say, I don't want to talk
27:11
about politics, you know what we live in this society where we can have an impact by
27:15
our say, we have that very rare opportunity in America and that freedom.
27:21
So guys, let's continue to just try to make just turn this ship around because Christians
27:26
can be influential, but we need to get more people on board.
27:29
So got to move on.
27:30
God bless you.
27:31
And as always, keep speaking the truth about things that matter.