A Useful Inverse Voter Guide
The folks behind WeBelieveWeVote.com (WBWV) want you to trust that, if you consider yourself a Christian, only candidates highly rated by their selection process are worthy of your vote, whereas, a close look at that selection process suggests precisely the opposite. For example, check out the “Survey” responses of Kata Dean, one of the candidates for Spokane Public Schools posted at this link.¹ The third “Core Belief” on the Survey equates commitment to “Limited Government” as a Christian tenet of faith.
Point #5 states that:
School districts must develop policies according to local community standards, and not force students to adhere to controversial state and federal mandates…
Point #8 suggests that a true Christian, as a matter of faith, must oppose the teaching of “Equity”—and condemn the teaching of the history of racism and slavery in our country as “inaccurate”. This runs entirely opposite to my Christian upbringing in the Methodist Church, a Christian upbringing that included vivid experiences with racism in American south in the 1960’s. For WBWV to make the contrary assertion I find despicable and distorted.
Point #8 requires, as a tenet of Christianity, fealty to a voucher system for education that would redirect tax dollars to private schools and homeschooling. One must presume that the WBWV folk have in mind teaching the religio-political doctrines expressed in this Survey at such schools.
Point #10 under “American Sovereignty” is the statement that “Cultural Competency advocates claim that these programs promote appreciation for a diversity of cultures.” and the conclusion that “Cultural Competency programs should be eliminated from schools.”
Point #11 under “The Environment” challenges the scientific consensus on climate change and global warming by blanking stating that “students should be exposed to different theories of climate change while focusing on universally agreed upon stewardship measures, such as not littering, conserving resources, etc.”
Point #12 under “The Poor and Needy” opens with “Providing a safety net for the poor and needy is the responsibility of individuals, families, churches, and local
communities.” It goes on to assert “Public schools have added too many social services such as health care, meals, day care, etc.”
Kata Dean, candidate for Spokane Public Schools School Board is in complete agreement with all of these statements. Daryl Geffken, Kata’s ally (they share the same campaign treasurer—and both are supported by the Republican Party), is in substantial agreement (74%). The two religio-political extremists vying for positions on the Central Valley School Board, Pam Orebaugh running for Position 5 and Bret Howell running as a write-in for Position 2, are ranked by WBWV at 96 and 97% agreement, respectively, based on their responses to the same Survey. (Rob Linebarger, Pam’s supposed opponent—but her actual devoted ally—on the ballot for CVSD Position 5 has strategically declined to turn in a Survey in order to throw votes toward Pam.)
Candidates for Spokane City Council Jonathan Bingle (100%!) and Mike Lish (88%) filled out Survey Questionnaires WBWV tailored to city councils that lay bare their ideological underpinnings as well. The same is true for candidates in seven other Spokane County communities with city council races this November. Visit the WBWV website and check out their Survey responses and ratings before you vote. Note the contrast between their positions laid bare by their Survey responses and their more guarded public comments.
When you do your research to fill out your ballot (which you should have received) I encourage you to visit WeBelieveWeVote.com, spend a little time clicking around—and be sure to study the candidate Surveys. In general, responding to WBWV’s Survey confirms the candidate’s religio-political extremism. I am hard-pressed to find a Christian value I recognize on this site. Christians using this site, and those unaware of its existence, need to apprised of what it contains.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry
P.S. You may have seen WBWV’s updated logo on yard signs, often immediately adjacent to (and, rarely, right on) church properties:
The folks who run WBWV have toned down their logon a bit this one on a 4X8 yard sign in 2018:
P.P.S. Over four years I have watched WBWV grow, presenting itself online more and more slickly. The only example I can recall of a candidate for whom I voted who also filled out the WBWV Survey was Breean Beggs’ in his campaign for Spokane City Council President. Instead of submitting a 1-10 rating, Breean wrote out a detailed, reasoned response to each question—and garnered a dismally low overall rating. No doubt few who visited WBWV bothered to read the Survey. (Unfortunately, I did not then know that I could download and preserve the Survey responses—and WBWV no longer displays Breean’s response. It is a shame because his responses were, in my opinion, those of a man with true Christian values.) 1
For any candidate rated on the WBWV website, their responses to this same survey can be seen with the following click pattern: Voter Guide / Select a City, Town, or School District Races / scroll to the candidates name and click “More” / scroll to the bottom of that page and click “Survey Responses”.