How I Picked a President in 3 Easy Steps

Preface

tl;dr — I feel confident in my vote because:

1. I know what my vote means to me.
2. I know what I believe.
3. I know the candidates, to the best of my ability.

Which of the Two-Party Candidates is Right?
Joseph Smith's First Vision remixed with cc permission

During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Republican sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the major political parties, that it was impossible…to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong…In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together?…I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong (Joseph Smith, JSH 1:8, 10, 19 italicized words changed).

"Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together?" Like the boy, Joseph Smith, who found the choice between the religious parties of 1820 vexing, similar anxiety has been experienced by many voters during the course of this 2016 presidential election. And I can't blame them! While both the Republican and the Democratic parties profess some good principles, both big-party candidates can be seen as reprehensible for their own reasons.

Introduction

You do you. In this post, I will not encourage the reader to adopt my views. Nor will I suggest that there is only one "correct" way of looking at things. I am a firm believer in respecting others' experiences and agency, and protecting religious freedom for all. Thus, I will attempt to avoid shaming the reader or making impassioned calls to action. Rather, I hope that the reader will reflect on and learn from my personal experiences as he or she chooses.

I was in a dark place.  Bombarded by hate and lies loosely masquerading as news reports, my abused conscience was imploding over the following conundrums:

• Aren't the Supreme Court nominations more important than 1-2 presidential terms? #NeverHillary
• Wait! Couldn't 4-8 years of Trump be just as—if not more—devastating #NeverTrump?
• How did it come to this, America?! Are these elected candidates truly a reflection of what we've become? (Can we please get a candidate with an MO of decisive action based on a moral foundation of service and integrity?)
• How can a presidential candidate audaciously claim to restore America to greatness? ⁽¹⁾
• If Trump were elected president, is there a scenario in which he would miraculously step down, allowing Pence to take over the Oval Office? Even if the entire American population demanded it, would either candidate be any easier to impeach than Bill Clinton?
• In the event of a House vote—the House is filled with Republicans and Democrats—why on earth would they agree upon a third-party candidate? (1.25)
• Everyone is so wrapped up in the presidential race; what about the dozens of neglected races that will also have a significant impact at the federal, state, and local levels? Should I just shift my focus to those races?
• Trump or Clinton will win. Why waste my vote on a third party candidate?
• In Utah, a "Trump-spoiling" third-party vote is essentially a vote for Clinton, right?
• Does it really matter who commands the Executive Branch? Won't the shadow government continue to pull our strings anyway? #depressing
• What weight should a candidate's experience, personal values, and political views each have on my election decision?
• What have the Brethren said? What can I learn from their examples?
• How can I make a voting decision I can live with?
• What if I just sit this one out?

Read on: If you resonate with my story so far, let me share with you my three-step approach to escape a fear-based mentality and finally experience the peace I yearned for regarding my presidential choice.

Step 1: Define My Motives for Voting

Why vote? There are many different reasons to vote. I'm only going to mention the three I progressed through during this 2016 election cycle:

1. Fear-of-man — "If you decide to vote for the best candidate—who will inevitably lose—the victory will go to the least appealing option, and the world will end!" Some voters need, more than anything, to prevent Hillary (or Trump) from being elected president, which would supposedly end life as we know it. If that is truly the case, then my choice would be simple—just vote for the other guy (or gal). Unfortunately for me, the media had me convinced that either candidate would lead our nation to moral decay, economic ruin, and physical destruction. For a time, I was contented to vote Red if it meant blocking Clinton and her 3 liberal Supreme Court Justice nominations. Fear obviously ruled my will. Unsettled by this constant state of fear, my resolve eroded and my thinking evolved.
2. The Moral Compromise —The moral pragmatist in me said, "your Joseph Smith allusion, which encourages you to follow your conscience, is all well and good, assuming every citizen is able to choose his or her own personal president, but we aren't. Electing a US president is a group decision. So your moral convictions are going to need to be a little flexible. If you don't make some concessions and rally around [this second-rate candidate], we'll be even further off track from where we need to be. Remember Ralph Waldo Emerson's words from his 1841 essay Self-Reliance, 'the voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tacks.' When politically 'sailing against the wind,' it is better to vote for a series of slightly-off-course candidates that off-set each other over time than to attempt to sail directly along your course. Essentially, Bryan, you have to accept that politics are messy. Sometimes, you have to vote against your own beliefs in order to ultimately get closer to what you want. To this argument, I had two responses:
1. I agree with my initial interpretation of Emerson's tacking metaphor, that sometimes the most-practical approach (for sailing and personal journeys through life) is to strike boldly forward, albeit diagonally forward. But, for me, a vote for McMullin is tacking. Given what I know about Trump and Clinton, a vote for one of them tantamount to being driven by the winds and tossed. A key premise of Emerson's sailing metaphor is that, while we sail across the wind, our eyes remain fixed on a set course. Unfortunately, we, as a nation, are tacking blindly. We've lost sight of the Great Lighthouse. ^(1.5) Ask the Mythbusters or Stephen Fry (or the Nephites) what happens when people try to walk in a straight line blindfolded.
2. "If you don't compromise your values, Bryan, the world will go to hell in a hand basket." To which I would facetiously responded to myself, "My soul is prepared. How's yours?" First of all, I must say that Hazim from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade possesses the honor of a samurai warrior and is a personal hero of mine. And second, no, I don't have to concede, nor compromise my integrity to win. Like Eugene V. Debs, five time Socialist candidate for President of the United States, “I’d rather vote for what I want and not get it, than vote for what I don’t want and get it.” Wickedness and suffering will assuredly increase in these last days, regardless of who sits in the White House. The good news is that, even in our most-perilous moments at sea, when we look to the heavens and cry, "carest thou not that we perish? How canst thou lie asleep? When each moment so madly is threatening a grave in the angry deep? Oh, hasten and take control." The Savior will respond, "The winds and the waves shall obey my will; Peace, be still! Peace, be still! Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea, or demons or men or whatever it be, no waters can swallow the ship where lies the Master of ocean and earth and skies." (LDS Hymn #105, Master the Tempest is Raging, Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:36-41.)
3. Fear-of-God — (And by fear, I mean honor and respect.) Voting is nothing more that an act of faith by which people actively take responsibility for choosing their leaders and representatives. Therefore, I should do not vote for who I think will win, I should vote for who I think should win. Then trust in God. When I rest my faith in Him, voting is no longer strategic or messy—it's simple:
1. Each state is given a list of viable candidates. In Utah, we have 10 presidential candidates on the ballot, we have 15 eligible names to write-in.
2. We then each pick our favorite one (and try not to be sore losers if our guy or gal isn't elected).

What does my vote mean to me? My entire voting philosophy hinges on this solitary idea—my candidate doesn't have to win in order for my vote to have meaning. Voting isn't about winning; it's about participating in democracy. The statement, “your candidate cannot win; therefore, your vote is wasted,” is a non sequitur. It assumes that only votes cast for the winner have value. Telling people that they are wasting their vote is a fear tactic. And, unfortunately, since many people are more motivated to avoid failure than they are motivated to achieve success the tactic is shrewd, but effective (D.M. Andre).

Value of a 3rd-Party Vote. Read Stephen Weese's (long, but fascinating) article, How Not To Waste Your Vote: A Mathematical Analysis (especially "Fallacy 2"). He concludes that millions of votes are statistically meaningless, regardless of whether you vote in a safe or a swing state. Weese also argues that there are many reasonable benefits of voting for a losing third party:

• It makes a political statement to the majority parties.
• It can help change platforms to include third-party elements.
• It helps local politicians of that party in future elections.
• It provides party recognition among all voters (and non-voters) as a viable alternative.
• Most importantly, it encourages voters to act democratically and not feel pressured into truly "throwing away their vote."

Escaping the Abyss. When consequentialist ethics ruled my vote, I felt powerless, manipulated, and afraid—traits more commonly associated with totalitarian regimes than democracies. I desperately needed to stop seeing myself as a pawn in a war between two corrupt factions. That's when I discovered that, regardless of my vote's influence on who ends up in the Whitehouse, for me, an intrinsically-motivated vote was the only way to experience real peace. When I vote on November 8th, I will have the assurance that, whomever the nation elects, my vote = my voice.

Step 2: Define What's Important To Me

What things do I care about most? Having discovered the power of my voice, I then needed to identified what I believed, instead of just reacting to what I was being told. Step 1) write down all the most important issues and attributes I look for in a president. (It's not unlike the perfect guy/girl list we all created as teenagers describing our future spouses. They had to be a specific height, eye color, interests, and personality traits. And like that list, this "perfect president" list is subject to change as we mature.)

Here's the top 4 areas I look at when voting for president:

1. Shared opinions regarding policies on both foreign and domestic political issues.
1. Foreign policies: Role in maintaining world peace and supporting allies, Chinese relations, Russian relations, Environment (Energy, Global warming).
2. Domestic policies: Supreme Court Justices nominations, National debt, Health care, Education, Immigration, Prison system reform, Abortion, Substance control, Gun control.
2. Share moral values. It is important to me that a president has personal integrity, is accountable, and champions transparency.
3. History of effective leadership. (Rule follower, promise keeper, takes morally-guided action.)
4. Political acumen. (Listens to public opinion, responsive, innovative, and accountable.)

As an illustrate of how to define what's most important to you, I'll share my grandma's simple method. For the past few months, my grandma's Republican support rested chiefly upon a single factor—her positive impression of Trump's children at a televised rally. "Anyone who has children with such fine deportment can't be that bad," she urged me. To my grandma—a woman who long ago gave up trusting campaign promises—character is paramount. Her best method for measuring an individual's character is by observing his or her kids. This is a certainly a valid method to pick a president. It's just not a method I'm comfortable with, (which I didn't have the heart to tell her).

Step 2) Once I had brainstormed and written down my list, I prioritized my each item on my huge list, emphasizing only the top five traits or issues; any more than that and it'd become too complicated. It would be inappropriate (and take far too long) to adequately explain my rationale here. If you want to talk, let me know.

Non-essential tip: In order to help me prioritize what was most important to me, I wrote down some of my underlying beliefs that drive my voting prioritization:

• My allegiance is to no man (or woman) or party, but to the United States of America. ⁽²⁾
• Our Democratic Republic was built for a God-fearing people, and is still valid and functional today. All elected U.S. government officials are servants of the people. We give them power to represent our communal voice once elected. My voice as a citizen deserves to be heard, as does everyone's. And I will do my best to vote for the candidate who best represented my interests, not for the one who is the least offensive of the two major parties. ^(3) (4)
• I give myself permission to vote for a losing candidate.
• If my mind and heart are still unsettled before I cast my vote, I will continue to evaluate my options until the last moment to find a candidate I'm most comfortable with. ⁽⁵⁾
• I will always vote. Voting shows that I care about the decisions our government makes on our behave. If I absolutely cannot find someone on the ballot to vote for (including legal write-ins in my state), I will vote for the most-worthy candidate. Totalitarianism is not the opposite of democracy; silence is. ⁽⁶⁾

Step 3: Find the Candidate Who Best Represents My Beliefs

Of all the options, which candidates best fits my criteria?

1. Evan McMullin (Independent/Wild Card) has very few explicit views on current political issues. Yet his principals-based approach resonates (mostly) with my set of values. While his chances for success don't impact my vote, if the reader happens to be interested in his slim, but possible, chances for success, I've outlined them in the footnotes ⁽⁷⁾. Do I think it will work? It would take a miracle.
2. Hillary Clinton (Democrat/Sell Out) — Based on Clinton's political track record, I doubt she would make any significant positive contribution to this country as president. Additionally, any legislation, judicial appointments, or executive orders she succeeds in enacting would be harmful, based on my beliefs about her history.
3. Donald Trump (Republican/Megalomaniac) — After watching his website videos, I can't think of a single policy of his I can support. Also, I don't trust him not to start WWIII.
4. Jill Stein (Green/California Tree Hugger) — Reading Stein's policies made me think, "PTA Mom on steroids." That's good, I guess, if you're trying to raise awareness about the depopulation of wooded areas due to zoning for a new high-school football field. Green party, please stop trying to jump to the highest level of government to work on medium-level stuff.
5. Gary Johnson (Libertarian/Weird Dude) is the more-likely 3rd-party candidate to win (if you're still into that whole fear-based voting mentality); he's been polling at 7-10%+ nationwide. Unfortunately, Johnson's wish-away-moral-dilemmas approach to American Libertarianism leaves me questioning what he'll actually do as president when the crap hits the fan.

Information on these issues were gathered and measured using the following resources:

• Primary sources (like those I link to above).
• Reputable political news outlets:
• ontheissues.org — Compares candidates on issues.
• vote.utah.gov — Enter your address and see all the candidates and profiles.
• Utah's Official Voter Pamphlet — Includes details on Utah's 3 Constitutional Amendments.
• Ballotpedia.org — Well organized info and stats.
• Divine guidance through prayer.
• Trusting my gut instincts based on rigorous study.

Conclusion

Don't Waste Your Vote. Perhaps "throwing your vote away" means the opposite of what some would have us believe. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb waste in the following way: to use or expend carelessly, extravagantly or to no purpose. If a vote is your voice, and to waste means to expend carelessly, then voting against your own beliefs is truly wasting your vote.

Act in faith, not fear. Both major parties would persuade me to hand over my vote in order to prevent the "other tyrant" from taking office. Am I allowing my vote to be hi-jacked by fear-mongers? Or does my vote still truly represent my voice as a citizen? I believe there is not a "correct" candidate for America, only for individual voters and their hopes for America. I'm sure there are reasonable arguments for most all of the candidates. Incidentally, if you disagree with my bias toward McMullin and want to see another example of successfully applying this 3-step process, here's a beautiful blogpost by a Clinton supporter. (Unfortunately, I haven't yet located a cogent example supporting Trump I can link to. Although a friend did send me a lengthy argument, written by a friend of a friend of hers via facebook, which compared that person's personal belief system with his or her understanding of each candidate's political position. Unfortunately it isn't yet accessible online.)

Finally freedom! May we all appreciate the freedom to vote for the candidate that best represents us individually. It's your vote, not your friend's, nor your state's, nor your national party's—yours!  It's never too late to do the right thing.

Postface

For, not Against. The biggest thing I've learned to do differently because of this election cycle is to only vote for candidates, not against them. Last-minute-reader-rebuttal: "But what if I reject everything you've said up to this point and I'd honestly rather see Trump lose than any other candidate win? Wouldn't a Utah vote for Clinton make a real difference? (I'm trying to save our nation and your soul here!)" It certainly would make a difference, that is if I defined my vote as only having value if I win! But thank you for your prayers and concern on my behalf.⁽⁸⁾

Footnotes

(Click the numbers to return to the bookmarks inside the post)

¹ - Is government capable of solving America's root problem—the disintegration of the moral underpinnings of our Judeo-Christian heritage. Simply put, no. While government can pass and enforce laws to influence the behavior of its citizens, it is incapable of changing hearts. In the July 1989 Ensign, President Ezra Taft Benson powerfully taught that lasting change comes not from being compelled, but from connecting with the Lord and acting intrinsically. “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature” (Born of God, italics added).

^1.25 - A House vote has only happened once before in U.S. history. In 1824, John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay pooled their Republican influence in a "corrupt bargain" to take over the White House. While our 2016 circumstances are different, there is no compromise that end in a 3rd-party in power. You'd better believe the Republicans and Democrats would sooner cut some shady quid pro quo than permit a third party into their circle of power.

^1.5 - "We need not and must not flounder on the sea of popular opinions or drift with the waves of immorality. God is among us, and He has provided us with precious sextants to assess our spiritual latitude" (Carlos E. Asay, Stay on the True Course, April 1996). One of those sextants of celestial light is the prophet and other church leaders called and ordained by Christ to direct His church on the earth as referenced in Ephesians 4:11-14 "…That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;"

² - “God provided that in this land of liberty, our political allegiance shall run not to individuals, that is, to government officials, no matter how great or how small they may be. Under His plan our allegiance and the only allegiance we owe as citizens or denizens of the United States, runs to our inspired Constitution which God himself set up. So runs the oath of office of those who participate in government. A certain loyalty we do owe to the office which a man holds, but even here we owe just by reason of our citizenship, no loyalty to the man himself. In other countries it is to the individual that allegiance runs. This principle of allegiance to the Constitution is basic to our freedom. It is one of the great principles that distinguishes this ‘land of liberty’ from other countries.” —J. Reuben Clark, Jr., (Improvement Era, July 1940, p. 444, italics added.

³ - “If you vote for the lesser of two evils you are still voting for evil and you will be judged for it. You should always vote for the best possible candidate, whether they have a chance of winning or not. Then, even if the worst possible candidate wins, the Lord will bless our nation more because more people were willing to stand up for what is right.” (Mike Thompson paraphrasing a private conversation he had with President Ezra Taft Benson around October 1972 or April 1973, italics added.)

⁴ - “We engage in the election the same as in any other principle; you are to vote for good men, and if you do not do this it is a sin; to vote for wicked men, it would be sin. Choose the good and refuse the evil. Men of false principles have preyed upon us like wolves upon helpless lambs. Damn the rod of tyranny; curse it. Let every man use his liberties according to the Constitution. Don't fear man or devil; electioneer with all people, male and female, and exhort them to do the thing that is right. We want a president of the U.S., not a party president, but a president of the whole people; for a party president disfranchises the opposite party. Have a president who will maintain every man in his rights.” —Hyrum Smith, (Documentary History of the Church, Vol.6, Ch.15, p.323, italics added.) Notice that Smith did not say that we are to vote against wicked men, but rather we are to vote for either good or wicked men. Certainly, the Founders never envisioned an endless cycle of US citizens voting for the “lesser of two evils”. The idea was for free and open elections where the people’s voice would be heard. It was simple: the candidate who best represented your interests earned your vote.

⁵ - The Prophet Joseph Smith said, “… let the people of the whole Union, like the inflexible Romans, whenever they find a promise made by a candidate that is not practiced as an officer, hurl the miserable sycophant from his exaltation …” (DHC, vol. 6, p. 207, italics added.).

⁶ - “Under existing circumstances we have no alternative, and if we can accomplish our object, well, if not we shall have the satisfaction of knowing that we have acted conscientiously, and have used our best judgment. And if we have to throw away our votes, we had better do so upon a worthy rather than an unworthy individual who might make use of the weapon we put in his hand to destroy us” (Joseph Smith, Jr., Documentary History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 207 by B.H. Roberts, italics added).

⁷  -  At the Provo Library event last night, McMullin's campaign manager explained to me their best case scenario for winning: McMullin needs to win all 6 electoral votes in Utah by winning 50% of the popular vote. Then both Trump and Clinton need fewer than 270 of the 538 total electoral votes. At that point, the election decision is passed to the House of Representatives. While presidential candidates only need a single electoral vote to be considered for a house vote, only the top three candidates qualify. Between the electoral college vote and the House vote, both Trump and Hillary need to implode, allowing McMullin's friends in the House to win over the crowd. (Note: The House is primarily Republican, making a vote against Clinton more likely.)

I made a new friend tonight. His name is @evan.mcmullin. Cool fact about Evan—he's got a (moon)shot at becoming our next US #president.

A photo posted by Bryan Tanner (@bryanthemormon) on Oct 5, 2016 at 10:06pm PDT

⁸ - “… The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or without being circumscribed or prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men, or by the dominations of one another, when that truth is clearly demonstrated to our minds, and we have the highest degree of evidence of the same” (Letter from Joseph Smith to Isaac Galland, Mar. 22, 1839, Liberty Jail, Liberty, Missouri, published in Times and Seasons, Feb. 1840, pp. 53–54; spelling and grammar modernized, italics added.) See also the 11th Article of Faith, "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

Other Articles I Enjoyed Reading

• theatlantic.com - Against Donald Trump
• fee.com - The Lesser of Two Evils
• realclearpolitics.com - Battle for the Whitehouse
• reason.com - Voting Third Party Isn’t Just a Serious Choice, It’s the Serious Choice
• blog.action.org - Rethinking ‘wasted votes’ and third-party candidates
• SLTribune - Op-ed: Utahns can lead out against the two-party tyranny
• theatlantic.com - Utah Is 2016's Strangest Swing State
• thefederalist.com - Even If He Wins States, Evan McMullin Won’t Make Hillary Win
• ldsliberty.org - The Reason You Vote For Someone Matters
• medium.com - The Power of the Wasted Vote
• CBS.com - Madam Secretary is a wholesome and entertaining show that covers some very timely themes. Scan to the last 10 seconds of this clip from the season 3 premiere on Oct 3rd to get a feel for the theme of the episode.