BY SHARON MARTIN

What words would convince you to vote for a candidate? In Oklahoma, it appears that just calling oneself Christian, conservative, or pro-life is enough to rake in the votes and the dollars.

Does anyone bother to check out how the person who claims to be all these things behaves?

Just how pro-life are you if you take sex education and healthcare away from your constituents? Can you call yourself a Christian if you take from the poor and give to the rich?

Politicians have always pulled those trigger words – dirty commie, dirty hippie, radical Muslim terrorist, slugs. And voters react. It’s time we quit reacting to mere words and look at actions.

The recent antics in the Oklahoma Legislature are a good lesson.

Legislators who call themselves pro-education can’t seem to displease their oil and gas donors enough to fund education. People calling for criminal justice reform won’t offend the corporate prisons who help them get elected.

Voters need to get deeper into candidate research. A few words aren’t enough. Take time to research how an incumbent voted. If we take a chance on some newcomer, a chance is all he or she gets.

And by all means, vote! Not only must every eligible voter get to the polls, we should also be armed … with real information about the candidates.

– Sharon Martin lives in Oilton, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer. Her latest book, Not A Prodigal, is available through Barnes and Noble. Her recent children’s book, Froggy Bottom Blues, can be purchased in hardcover or paperback from Doodle and Peck Publishing and in paperback from Amazon.