How many of us have heard or uttered this statement: "I don't know how I'm going to vote this year". Many Catholics are struggling to decide how to vote. That should mean that they're trying to form their consciences in a correct and Catholic way. And they should be looking for choices that allow them to "see that the divine law is inscribed in the life of the earthly city" ( Gaudium et Spes 43)
Unfortunately, we have the prospect this year of having some of the most deeply problematic major party candidates for president in American history (which is quite a statement, considering that Aaron Burr, Richard Nixon, Strom Thurmond and George Wallace are on that list). Several of them have significant character problems and all support some kind of intrinsic moral evil (i.e., laws and policies that are always wrong, like permitting abortion on demand, legalizing assisted suicide, or the deliberate killing of civilians in wartime)
I'm not a member of any of the major parties, so loyalty is not an issue for me — candidates don't have a right to my vote, they have to earn it. To me, casting a vote is a moral act, a statement that I wish this candidate to serve in a particular office. It means that I believe the person is qualified for the office, and that I want them to fulfill their campaign promises and positions. If I know that this candidate will support intrinsically evil policies, I am giving my permission for those evil acts and I am therefore complicit (however remotely) in them.
This is a very troubling moral dilemma. Our Bishops have advised us that we can vote for a candidate who promotes an intrinsically evil act, but that can only be for truly grave moral reasons — which does not include party loyalty. The Bishops have also advised that we can "take the extraordinary step" of not voting for any candidate, or we can vote for the candidate who is likely to do the least harm. This is also a hard decision to make — how could there possibly be a sufficiently grave reason to vote for a candidate who favors abortion on demand, the killing of civilians in war, torture of captives, the redefinition of marriage, or proposals that are openly racist. Given the Law of Unintended Consequences, and the impossibility of predicting the future, it is also extremely hard to make a determination as to who would cause the least damage to our vulnerable republic and world
Many people are considering to cast their vote for one candidate as a statement against one of the other candidates. But we don't have an electoral system where we can "Like" or "Unlike" candidates. To vote against one, we have to vote to put the other one in office — which is a problem if we know that they will support evil policies.
But there are alternatives to voting for any of the major party candidates. One could leave the line blank — a vote of "none of the above" — but still vote for candidates in other key races. But that's not satisfactory to those who want their vote not just to express dissatisfaction with the candidates that have been offered, but to support a positive agenda
Another option is to look at some of the "minor parties" that have proposed candidates. I find one of these minor parties, the American Solidarity Party, to be very intriguing. It seems to be building its platform on Catholic Social Teaching. The party is not strictly Catholic, but falls in the tradition of "Christian Democratic" parties, which have been so influential in Europe and Latin America but which have never gained a foothold in the binary party system here in the United States. On the issues I consider most important, the ASP is right on point: they are consistently pro-life, defend religious liberty and the authentic definition of marriage, oppose the use of torture and the killing of civilians in war, and support the right of parents to control the education of their children and the duty of the state to support them. I don't agree with all of their platform, and I am not endorsing them or any other candidate for office. But I am interested in any political party or movement, however small they may be, that tries to advance the Church's positions on policy issues.
Obviously, these kind of parties have no chance of winning this election. Most probably won't even be on the ballot in New York, given our notoriously byzantine ballot access laws, so a write-in vote would be necessary
But for voters who are looking for options, a minor party vote may allow them to vote according to their conscience. And that is not a "wasted vote". As John Quincy Adams once said, "Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost."n
(Comments? Email me at [email protected])