My priority in deciding who receives my vote in the upcoming election is CHARACTER.

Character of political leaders precedes policies. Malformed character produces malevolent policies and actions. Well-formed character prompts benelovent actions and practices.

Two qualities stand at the forefront: HONESTY, rooted in personal integrity, and EMPATHY, expressed through respect and compassion for others.

I am listening carefully—not only to what candidates say, but to what appears to matter most to them. Is their primary loyalty to personal gain and party affiliation, or to justice and the common good? Do their backgrounds, words, and actions demonstrate respect for people whose lives and circumstances differ from their own, especially the marginalized and vulnerable?

I am especially attentive to how candidates speak about those who live on society’s margins—the immigrant, the homeless person, those living in poverty, LGBTQ+ people, the incarcerated, people with disabilities or addictions, and all who are regarded as “the other.” How we speak about people reveals something important about how we understand their worth.

Dishonesty and cruelty, when used as political strategies, corrode the trust on which democracy and civil society depend. A healthy democracy requires more than elections and competing policies; it requires truthfulness, compassion, mutual respect, and a commitment to the common good.

At the heart of my judgment is a bedrock conviction: every person possesses inherent worth and dignity. No one is expendable because of poverty, status, ability, immigration status, identity, addiction, incarceration, or any other circumstance.

That is the character I will be looking for—and the standard by which I will make my choice in the upcoming election.