The Secret Ballot is Stronger Than the Bigot

“The ballot is stronger than the bullet.” — Abraham Lincoln, May 29, 1856.

The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices are confidential. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. — From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

“The secret ballot is stronger than the bigot.” — TheBigHenry, June 14, 2008.

There is a lot going on in the public domain. The mainstream media, the blogosphere, the political campaigns themselves, every special interest group, as well as individuals who care about the outcome of the Presidential election, are all marching to their own drummers.

The talking heads (with or without tingles up their legs), whose avowed credo is to be unbiased in presenting the news, nevertheless must not ignore their income-source's agenda, nor the political sensibilities of their colleagues. The blogosphere has at least as many personal influences as there are bloggers and commentators. The campaigners will say and do whatever it takes to win the nomination and the election. The special interest groups are indistinguishable from religious zealots. And the caring public cares about all their personal and professional relationships, in addition to their private preferences.

The great, almost the only, equalizer is the blessed secret ballot. You can say, do, proselytize, compromise, socialize, stigmatize, and otherwise in the run up to the election. But once you are in that voting booth, with the curtain drawn, your moment of truth is upon you. That is the time to consider what is best for you, for those you care about, and above all, for your country. Don't let your country down.