Up until the time I was able to vote I was heavily involved in political discussions.  For anyone who knew me then, it may seem strange that I didn’t vote in the 2004 election and will not be voting in the 2008 election, but you probably understand.  For anyone who didn’t know me then, it might seem typical since my age group is the least likely age group to vote, and it may conjure up ideas of apathy and ignorance.

That’s not the case.  These are the main reasons I will not be voting in 2008:

• I want to say to my family and friends that as important as political issues are, there are things ten thousand times more important. I really mean that.  Even issues like abortion and poverty.
• I want to say to my family and friends that Democrats are not evil. Correction: I want to say that Republicans are just as evil as Democrats.  There are some great Christian values that the Democratic party fights for, most of all is probably putting attention on relieving poverty.  As one of my friends has said,
  

  If people who claim Christ would follow Christ’s commands there wouldn’t be any need for legislation. . . . No one deserves to be rich. It’s a gift, period. You can work for it all day long, but in the end, we don’t deserve much apart from a hole in the ground to bury ourselves in. But we’ve been blessed for the sole purpose of helping other people.

• Who am I to choose the president? I will be praying for the election, but in not voting I am choosing to defer to the wisdom of those who have studied these issues and put more thought and prayer into them than I have.  There are many things I don’t know, and one of those is who should be the next president.  If you do, I encourage you to vote!  But I don’t.

For those of you who are planning on voting, check out Piper’s Don’t Waste Your Vote clip below.

Update: Also see Why I Second Guessed My Decision Not to Vote in 2008.