Sen. Ted Cruz and Tim Lee Share With Students the Importance of Voting

In the final days leading up to the election, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz paid a virtual visit to Convocation, encouraging students to exercise their right to vote in the 2020 presidential election. 

Cruz made his first appearance at Liberty’s Convocation in 2016, where he announced his candidacy in the 2016 presidential election. After losing the Republican nomination, Cruz returned to the Senate, where he has represented Texas since 2013.

During his Friday visit, Cruz and Pastor David Nasser discussed the pandemic, the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett and the upcoming election. As a professing Christian, Cruz believes it is of utmost importance that believers are involved in civic processes. 

“I think every one of us has a responsibility, a biblical responsibility, to be engaged in fighting to defend our values,” Cruz said. “If we don’t fulfill that responsibility, then we bear part of the blame for the consequences of what happens in this country.”

Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, developed a passion for politics early in life after learning of his father’s harrowing journey to America. Cruz’s father fought in the Cuban revolution and later fled to the United States as an 18-year-old.

Hearing the stories of his father’s experience in Cuba under Fidel Castro’s communist regime gave Cruz an appreciation for the freedoms found in the United States. In order to protect these freedoms, Cruz said voting in elections is essential.

“I would say to the students at Liberty if you want to preserve your freedoms, your freedom to speak, to believe, to live (and) to make your own choices, then getting out and voting and voting your values is integral to doing so,” Cruz said.

During the conversation with Nasser, Cruz praised the recent confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Cruz complimented Barrett’s composure during the confirmation hearings and called the appointment “the single most important thing (Trump’s) done in office.”

During the second half of Convocation, Tim Lee, a Vietnam War veteran and repeat Convocation guest, sat down with Nasser to discuss the privilege of voting even in uncertain times. 

Lee, who is now a passionate evangelist, was wounded in the Vietnam War when he stepped on an underground land mine. He lost both legs and spent eight months recovering in a military hospital before returning to the United States and entering full-time ministry.

During Convocation, Lee challenged students to consider the privilege of voting. Lee explained that many Americans take the opportunity to vote for granted, while people in countries with less freedom are still fighting for their right. 

“People have paid the price; people have sacrificed,” Lee said. “We have to look at (voting with) such more of a serious tone.”

Madison Hirneisen is a News Reporter. Follow her on Twitter at @MadiHirneisen.