Political involvement can be inconvenient. It requires sacrifices of time and resources that might otherwise be devoted to leisure or other pursuits. Perhaps that is why the late LDS apostle Neal A. Maxwell observed, "Democracy is not meant for the naive, apathetic or the lethargic." Beyond voting, we can volunteer for or contribute to a candidate, party or cause of our choice, become a delegate or even run for office.

Vote and support whomever you choose — Democrat, Republican, Independent or otherwise — but participate!

Being an active church member does not require us to sacrifice our free speech rights, nor does it absolve us from our responsibility as a citizen to be active and engaged in the political process. Neither America nor Utah can afford to have any segment of the population unrepresented in electing and influencing leaders. Al Smith, the governor of New York who faced discrimination as a Catholic in his 1928 presidential bid, had it right when he said, "All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy."

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Kirk Jowers is the director of the University of Utah's Hinckley Institute of Politics and a partner in the Washington, D.C., law firm of Caplin & Drysdale.