AT THE time of writing, the outcome of the US presidential election is too close to call. If the balance tips in favour of Kamala Harris, it is widely expected that Donald Trump will contest the result. Altogether, the outcome appears highly precarious — and the consequences of that are alarming. The twists and turns of this presidential race have come thick and fast. President Biden’s reluctant resignation, the attempt on Mr Trump’s life, the heightened language, the ludicrous claims and counterclaims all create the sense of a soap opera in the making. Yet it is hard to imagine a moment in the post-war period when the world was in greater need of seriousness of purpose and responsible leadership.

From this side of the Atlantic, the vast majority of us are powerless to influence the outcome of the US election. But, worryingly, new research by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University suggests that at least 32 million Christians, although eligible to vote, are not planning to cast their ballot in next week’s election. Bear in mind that the gap between Mr Trump and Mr Biden in the 2020 election was just seven million votes. The reasons that eligible voters gave for their reluctance to go to the polls were a lack of interest in politics and elections (58 per cent); dislike of the major candidates (57 per cent); believing that their one vote would not make a difference (52 per cent); and that the election had become too controversial for their liking (50 per cent). Almost half of the non-voters (48 per cent) were deterred by the belief that the election outcome “would be rigged”.

This should worry us all. Voting may be only one aspect of our engagement in democracy, but it is surely a crucial one. Churches — and individual Christians — are called to be fully involved in the world and to work to the common good. The research considered the part played by churches in influencing eligible voters, and found that an estimated five million people said that they “would probably” cast their ballot if their church taught them that voting was a responsibility for every Christian.

For most of our readers, it is not their battle, this time around, but that does not mean that we can shrug off our civic responsibility. What we know is that government is a demanding business, as this week’s Budget has made self-evident. The charge to remain engaged does not disappear between elections, even if the temperature lowers somewhat. Churches retain the duty to support — and criticise — the democratic process, wherever we are in the electoral cycle, and to pray for their leaders. Having the vote is a privilege not to be taken for granted or squandered. As the third President of the US, Thomas Jefferson, said: “The government you elect is the government you deserve.”