Many people of faith will cast a vote for president even though they object to some of the candidate’s policies. Some will vote Republican to support abortion restrictions but are appalled at the prospect of expelling millions of undocumented workers. Others will vote Democrat but are appalled that Kamala Harris favors military aid that will result in more people being bombed in Gaza and in the Ukraine/Russia war.

A second option is not to vote. But here’s a third: What if every conflicted Democrat would find a Republican with similar misgivings about their party’s candidate and both pledge to abstain from casting a vote for president? This would engage citizens with opposing views in conversations that might help them understand each other better. Neither could be accused of simply being passive and doing nothing. Neither candidate would gain an advantage, because each would lose one vote. The agreement could involve the entire ballot or just the candidates for president. Followers of Jesus could do this to demonstrate their commitment to policies in accordance with the reign of God and at variance with short-sighted politics. In other words, it would highlight choices involving above versus below rather than left versus right.

Harvey Yoder, Harrisonburg, Va.