As we head into these midterm elections, I want to talk straight with you about something that sits at the very foundation of our republic: the right, and the duty, to vote.
Our Founding Fathers understood this better than anyone. They had just fought a revolution against a distant government that taxed them without representation and stripped away their liberties. They knew that freedom isn’t self-sustaining. It must be defended, generation after generation, by ordinary citizens who show up and make their voices heard. That’s why they built a system where power comes from the people, not from kings, not from bureaucrats, and not from Washington elites.
George Washington warned that the preservation of our liberty depends on the people remaining vigilant. Thomas Jefferson said the price of freedom is eternal vigilance. They didn’t design a system where a handful of politicians or agency officials get to decide our future. They designed a system where we decide, through free and fair elections.
Voting is how we keep that system honest. It’s how we hold elected officials accountable. It’s how we make sure the hardworking people of Northwest Iowa, farmers, small business owners, parents, veterans, seniors, and everyone really, have a real say in the direction of our state and our country.
Midterm elections matter. They determine who sits in the Iowa House and Senate, who sets tax policy, who decides how our schools are run, who protects our property rights, and who stands up for rural communities when the pressure comes from the coasts or from federal agencies. Sitting out an election is the surest way to hand power to those who don’t share our values.
I’ve seen too many good people stay home because they feel their vote doesn’t count or because politics has gotten too noisy. I get it. But silence is not neutrality. Silence is a gift to the side that is most organized and most determined. Our Founders didn’t risk everything so we could stay home on Election Day.
So, here’s my simple request: Make a plan to vote. Know what’s on your ballot. Talk to your neighbors. Bring your family. And cast your vote for candidates who will defend the Constitution, respect the hardworking taxpayers of Iowa, and keep government limited and accountable.
Our election system is one of the most secure election systems in the Country and maybe even the world with the safeguards that we have put in place. You can vote knowing that your vote will count and be part of the election process as it was always meant to be.
I served 25 years in the military to ensure our freedoms are upheld. You don’t need to do that, but I simply ask that you vote and vote your heart to keep our freedoms are upheld.
Freedom isn’t free, and it isn’t automatic. It requires us to show up. That’s what the Founders expected of us. That’s what our children and grandchildren deserve from us.
God bless Iowa, and God bless the United States of America.