Voting ranks among the holiest sacraments of the religion of statism.

By merely suggesting you might not vote, you will bring down an avalanche of incredulous chastisement upon your head.

“Voting is your civic duty!”

“If you don’t vote, you can’t complain!”

“Silence is consent!”

According to the church of state, failure to chose between the handful of leaders presented to you – no matter how awful they might be – will result in shaming and your virtual excommunication for society.

But what if you reject all of the choices as out of hand? Or more fundamentally, what if you reject the legitimacy of the whole political process? What if you simply don’t want to consent to a system based on violence, force and coercion?

Well, you have an option. You can actually go to the polls and register your rejection of all the candidates, and the entire system itself.  You can vote “none of the above” and make it count.

A website called BlankBallot.org explains that you can cast a completely blank ballot.

Every ballot that is cast by a legal voter is counted. When you cast a ballot without selecting any candidate, your ballot is still counted. Your vote is called an “undervote”, meaning that it is a vote, but it is a vote for none of the candidates.

A Blank Ballot vote is a real vote.

A Blank Ballot vote is a counted vote.

A Blank Ballot vote is in fact a vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE.

Blank Ballot voting, step-by-step:

• First, of course, you must be registered to vote!
• Next, you show up at the polling place on Election Day.
• Show your ID, pick up your ballot, proceed directly to the ballot box, and drop your ballot in!

You have just made a real vote that will actually be counted as a vote for NONE OF THE ABOVE!

The website’s FAQ page provides more information and addresses some of the objections to casting a blank ballot.

The  bottom line is nobody is obligated to cast a vote for any candidate who doesn’t represent their views. Furthermore, nobody has any moral obligation to participate in the political system at all. As Christians, our citizenship attaches to a different kingdom.

BlankBallot.org offers those who reject the political system and its inherent violence a way to register their lack of consent. Or if you simply can’t stomach any of the candidates in this particular election, you can say, “No thanks, none of the above.”

You truly do have a choice!

Photo by: The Descrier / Descrier.co.uk via Flickr.