Elections: Why waste our time?

Results from two high profile gubernatorial races coupled with a handful of state ballot measures around the country, indicate strong voter dissatisfaction with the direction of “government” at the moment. Unless conditions change, next year could be another watershed year like 1994 when a record number of Democrat incumbents were “retired” from office. Bucking that trend during last week’s elections, however, were Washington State voters who evidently prefer status quo.

Voters in the Evergreen state were given a chance to rein in the rate of growth in state government but decided against Tim Eyman’s Initiative 1033. His measure would have helped put back in place, the essence of I-601 which limited tax increases to a formula indexed to inflation and population. I-601 was a populist measure inspired by then Senator Linda Smith in the early 1990s but scuttled by Gov. Gregoire in 2006.

The “keep things as they are” point of view also prevailed in the highly-charged race for King County Executive. The conservative former KIRO news anchor Susan Hutchinson was dismissed by 58% of voters as “not a good fit for King County”—a phrase used in her opponent’s political ads.

And in another disappointing conclusion, Referendum 71, the marriage issue, was affirmed by voters, keeping in place a new state law that grants to homosexual partners, all marriage benefits that accrue to a man and wife. Approximately 53% of voters liked the idea. But here are some interesting facts to consider:

Voters in 29 out of the 39 counties do not like the new type of “marriage”—by a whopping 62% to 38%. In counties east of the Cascades, 65% of voters rejected the new marriage law. Nine counties west of the cascades rejected the measure 55% to 45%. So where was the hang-up?

King County

The county that doesn’t think Susan Hutchinson, a committed Christian, is a good fit for their county, also doesn’t think traditional marriage is the best either. While nearly two-thirds of voters in 29 counties rejected R-71, more than two-thirds of King county voters gave the nod to marriage benefits for homosexual partners. Talk about a mission field!!!

So why do we waste our time on such issues as marriage, abortion, sex education, drugs, gambling, etc.? Perhaps we take seriously, a warning to the church in Thyatira. Jesus said: “Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and beguile My servants to commit sexual immorality…”
(Rev 2:20).

Whether we win or lose the social skirmishes that seem to scout us out, we are determined not to “tolerate” the spirit of Jezebel that has gained such a stronghold in King County and elsewhere. As Churchill exhorted, “We shall never give up. Never give up. Never, never, never give up!