11. Conclusion

Scripture is clear that “the men of Israel choose” their leaders (2 Samuel 16:18). This principle is stated over and over in both the Old and the New Testaments. Though we have left open the possibility that exceptions might be argued, we have not been able to find any Biblical examples of anyone other than a male head of household who voted in civil or ecclesiastical elections. Nor have we found any evidence whatsoever that people under the age of 20 were allowed to vote. The Biblical evidence appears to confirm that voting is an act of leadership, family representation, and authority. We have found no Biblical evidence that voting is tied to the right to communion. Instead, all of the evidence militates against universal suffrage, and we have come into agreement with older writers (such as R. L. Dabney) who argue that universal suffrage militates against a strong family and against a Biblical form of church government. It is also contrary to the covenantal model of a family integrated church. It is a practice that arose out of the Arminian debates at Dordt and subsequently flourished in the radical individualism of the modern age.