The Presidential Election Doesn't Matter as Much as We Think

A few months ago, when people still felt like they had real choices for who would be the Republican nominee; I received an email from a friend in Hawaii. She was lamenting that “a handful of voters in Ohio” would determine the election and felt her vote just didn’t matter. The day after the Indiana Primary when Donald Trump was declared the presumptive nominee, a lot of people were feeling that way. I know there are still millions of Americans who think Trump will fix everything and just as many who think he will be our ruin. And while all the talk in the media (in between horrible tragedies and cataclysmic events) is the presidential election, the fact is, it really doesn’t matter as much as we think.

From left, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (AP Photos/Charlie Neibergall)

Every time I turn on the radio or get on the internet I am flooded with “support Trump,” “Never Trump” and multiple opinions on what we need to do to beat Hillary Clinton - as if who wins the presidency is either our salvation or our doom.

Our Founding Fathers never intended for one person or one office to have this much power or influence in our lives. And the fact is, no matter how much power President Obama or those that follow him assume; they are not as powerful as we think. And they know it. That’s why they continue to dismiss, discredit, and disregard the Constitution - when they’re not able to alter it that is. The power of the Constitution is that it limits the power of the government.

As Thomas Jefferson said, “In questions of powers, then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”

If we spent as much time focused on our state and local elections as we do the presidential election, our country would be in a much different place.

No matter how Ohio or any other state votes in November, we still have a voice and it is much more powerful and much more influential than our vote for president. It is our vote for our governor, our state legislatures, city and county officials and the most powerful elected office in the country - the school board!

Yes, I said the school board. Your school and your town have more influence in your life than anyone in Washington. Your property taxes are decided by your city and/or county and the schools in your town receive a huge portion of those property taxes. How much money is collected, how it is spent, when your trash is picked up, the condition of your roads, what they teach in your schools, that is all decided right in your own county.

There was never supposed to be a Department of Education, Agriculture, Land Management or the myriad of other “departments” we now have. The federal government was never supposed to interfere with our schools, dictate what we plant and when, or how we use our land. Those are all local issue and we need to decide them locally. When we look to the federal government to solve our problems, we are asking for bigger government. The more we look to Washington the bigger Washington gets. If we really want to tackle an out of control federal government, we need face it head on where we are. If the governors and state legislators of our nation rose up and said, “enough” we would start to see some real change. The problem is most of our governors and state legislatures have neither the knowledge of Constitution to wield it, nor the courage to stand up and do it. And when someone who does possess that knowledge and courage decides to run for office, we are too busy focused on the presidential election to notice. But they are out there, right now, in our own states, counties and cities.

I had the opportunity to meet one last January. His name is Johnathan Johnson and he’s running for governor of Utah. Johnathan is the chairman of a very successful and lucrative national company. He doesn’t need a job, he’s not looking for popularity and he doesn’t need money. He and his family have been very happy living a quiet life. So why would he run? According to his incumbent opponent, Johnathan is just a guy who wants power. But doesn’t that make Governor Herbert the guy who just wants to keep the power? I’m sure the governor is a nice man, like a lot of nice men and women but we don’t just need nice. We need courage. We need knowledge of and respect for the Constitution.

When I asked Johnathan why he decided to run he said, “I think there are things in Utah that we need to address like federal lands, common core and federal overreach. Anyone more concerned about reelection, who wants to remain popular and stay on office won’t tackle these kinds of issues I think we need to.”

Johnathan and his wife, Courtney, and their five young sons are crisscrossing the state because they are tired of the status quo. His campaign has become a family affair and they know the importance of family. Common core is a family issue just as much as federal lands and federal overreach are. We need more men and women elected to office who realize that and have the courage to stand up, speak out and do something about it.

I urge you to find out who the Johnathan Johnsons are in your state and communities. You do have a voice, a powerful one, and your voice does count! No matter who is running for president, vote in your primary and don’t stay home in November. Go out and vote for your local offices. That is the vote that has the greatest impact on your family and influence on our nation. After all, your governor, mayor, or state legislator may be running for president someday and your vote could stop someone like Obama in their tracks. How’s that for power?

Kimberly Fletcher is the author of WOMEN: America’s Last Best Hope and the president and founder of HomeMakers for America Inc. The views in this article are solely of the author and not representative of HomeMakers for America Inc. Follow Kimberly on Facebook and Twitter @proudhomemaker

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