We often hear this time of year that everyone has a duty to vote. This is regarded as a patriotic duty, but beyond that some hold it to be a moral obligation.
Indeed, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community. . . [s]ubmission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country
No. 2239 and 2240
I have an old friend that once told me that he never bothered to inform himself on the lesser candidates in an election, and barely did on the major ones. He just went in and guess on most of them.
Whatever else our duty may be, that breaches it.
I don't disagree that we have a duty to vote. But that's an informed duty. That duty includes weighing what a person declares themselves to be for on every level, including an existential level. It also includes weighting the candidate's honesty.
It requires the voter to embrace reality and the truth as well, no matter how uncomfortable that may be. If it seems that everyone in your pack thinks just like you, and some candidate rabidly supports that, you might want to rethink things.
