Just as our nation forgets its identity when we drift from our biblical foundations, any organization can drift from its calling if it forgets its beginnings.
Earlier this month, the iVoterGuide team took
time to remember where we came from, what our mission has always been, and how
God has guided us along the way.
Our biannual “family” gathering brought
iVoterGuide staff and their families together from across the nation: from
Washington to Florida; from Texas to Virginia! We gave thanks for the impact
we’ve been blessed to make, built lasting relationships, and revisited our
roots as we prepare for the future.
I consider you, an iVoterGuide
voter, part of our “extended family.” So, I’d like to share our roots with
you as well, and briefly tell the story of how God took one man’s initial
effort to equip voters and grew it into this nationwide guide for millions of
Judeo-Christian voters across the country.
iVoterGuide truly is a tapestry woven by God
through many people. But the initial vision began with Richard Ford.
Richard’s greatest desire was to
help Christians be better disciples of Christ—which includes our civic
responsibility. In 2006, he took it upon himself to research all the candidates
from top to bottom of his Texas ballot. He assembled finance records,
endorsements, legislative scorecards, and more—all the datapoints that
iVoterGuide researches today. Next, he recruited knowledgeable individuals
to rate the candidates’ political ideologies on a conservative to liberal
scale—sound familiar?
Lastly, he put all this information
into a four-inch thick binder and distributed copies to churches. It looked
like guides you may remember receiving at your own church.
At about the same time, God inspired a retired
computer programmer with a vision to create a voter guide online . . . if only
he knew how to create a voter guide! God connected Jim Sneeringer with Richard
and iVoterGuide was born. Jim created a website where anyone could access the
voter guide using the methodology Richard described, and iVoterGuide went
online for the first time, covering the 5 largest counties in Texas for the
2008 election!
By 2010, the need for informed voters across
the country was apparent, so iVoterGuide went nationwide and covered federal
races in all 50 states, in addition to state legislative in roughly a
half-dozen states. I joined the team in 2011. My first job was helping design
the system and write the code to download and process the campaign finance data
on candidates. It was through iVoterGuide that I learned the importance of
voting wisely as one of our stewardship responsibilities.
When iVoterGuide went national, our
first partner was American Family Association (AFA) Action. Since 2012, they
have faithfully distributed our guide to people like yourself who are dedicated
to advancing biblical, family values in society and government.
AFA Action wanted to give us “wings
to fly” and expand our coverage. So in January 2022, iVoterGuide officially
became a division of AFA Action. This merger allowed us to continue our
growth in 2022 to include statewide and state legislative races in 35 states,
in addition to our nationwide evaluation of federal races. And we continue to
grow our coverage, particularly of judicial and school board races in key
districts.
While equipping voters is key, it is only part
of the larger battle to preserve our freedom to share the gospel. AFA Action is
able to take that fight beyond the ballot box to the judicial and
legislative arenas. In fact, they helped draft the Mississippi 15-week abortion
ban which led to the Dobbs case that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Combining forces makes both organizations more effective!
In addition to being an effective advocate for biblical values, I can personally testify that the AFA Action team is a praying and caring group of people. They made us feel very welcome with their hospitality when they hosted the iVoterGuide team at their headquarters in Tupelo, Mississippi this month!
As I look back at iVoterGuide’s journey over the past decade, I am in awe of how God has consistently taken our time and talent, and the treasure of many faithful supporters, and multiplied them to bless so many who hold Judeo-Christian values. His hand has faithfully guided us as we have sought His will, sometimes in rather trying times. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for the future!
Please keep our team and the team at AFA Action in your prayers as we strive to be the most effective we can be in the Lord’s work. And let us know how we can pray for you! It would be our pleasure. I am grateful you are part of our family.
