RIGHT on time for election season, a first-time author from Amanzimtoti, Pastor Ivan Ray Haylock, 50, decided to empower voters with the tools and knowledge needed to make an informed decision. The book, titled “Before You Vote: A Biblical Framework for Thoughtful Voting in South Africa”, was officially launched on October 26.

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The book comes at the height of political rhetoric across the country and Haylock is hopeful his extensive research and painstaking writing process will encourage thoughtful voting, gracious conversations across political differences, and ultimately, an informed voter.

Haylock is a father of four and is the senior pastor of Amanzimtoti Baptist Church.

His inspiration for taking on such a project came from a place of frustration.

“People would naturally ask me as a pastor who to vote for. One, I could not give them an informed decision. Two, it would cause division and disagreement. Generally, when it comes to politics and religion, you get two extremes. Either the politicians are in the pulpit, or the pastor is telling people who to vote for, which is incorrect and the other extreme is that it remains totally apolitical,” said Haylock.

The book is non-partisan and does not promote any one political party. Haylock takes the top 15 parties across the country and provides a deep dive into who they are, what they promise, the manifestos, the constitutions and policies. He further analysed each party on how it deals with issues of land, economy, crime and justice, life and family, education, immigration and more.

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“Even a non-believer, a non-religious person, would find value in the book. I want voters who are informed. That is the definitive difference in my book. It’s not a political book that has another political opinion,” said Haylock.

He said that prior to starting work on the book, he was not well versed politically.

“It is called Before You Vote, before the noise, because once the noise starts it is too late. My book aims to get pastors, school principals, group leaders informed. My main hope is to help Christians think biblically and evaluate political parties through their own published documents rather than headlines, rumours of social media opinions,” said Haylock.

The author is a family man. He and his wife, Nadia Haylock, moved to Amanzimtoti from Johannesburg 16 years ago and since then, have been ministering at Amanzimtoti Baptist Church. Outside of ministry, he is an avid squash player.

If you would like more information or would like to purchase the book, visit the following site: https://beforeyouvote.co.za.

Four practical tools adapted from Before You Vote

Haylock put together four practical tools along with free online resources that readers can use to research political parties and prepare for Election Day.

1. The three issue test. Before choosing a political party, write down the three issues affecting your household or community most seriously. Now investigate what different political parties propose to do about those issues. You can do so with the following resource: www.electai.co.za/compare-parties.

2. The promise versus the proof. Look beyond campaign promises. Choose one major promise made by a political party and ask three questions, “What exactly is being promised? How will the party fund and implement it? What evidence suggests it can deliver?”

Compare party manifestos and consider their governing records, not only their campaign slogans. View the following website: votersguide.co.za. 

3. The neighbour test.Take a policy you strongly support. Consider how it might affect someone whose circumstances differ from yours. Think about who benefits, who bears the costs and whether the policy contributes to the well-being of the wider community.

4. The ballot box conscience test. Ask yourself if you can explain your decision.  Before election day, complete four sentences:

• The three issues most important to me are…

• The evidence I’ve considered is…

• The weaknesses I recognise in my preferred party are…

• After the election, I will help my community by…

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