>> Debbie Wuthnow: Welcome to the Compass.
>> Rick Beggs: Navigating the public square together with faith, truth and conviction. Well, we are so glad that you are with us today. You know, this is officially our very first show of the Compass. And as you heard in the intro, this is uh, where we're talking about the public square together. I'm your host, Rick Beggs, and I'm always will be joined by Debbie Wathnow, who's the president of iVoterGuide. And uh, Debbie, say hey.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Hey guys. It's so good to be with you. I love being look forward to being with you every week and uh, just exploring the public square together.
>> Rick Beggs: Now we know that, uh, at least you and I do. We're telling the people that iVoterGuide is the largest voter guide in the country today. And it's all done online. But I thought it'd be great, Debbie, if we just sort of started with the backstory about how we got started as an organization, why it's important and why we have seen the growth in it. What, what, what really is the need that we are sort of meeting and
>> Debbie Wuthnow: God is looking through that whole story.
>> Rick Beggs: Well, good. So, uh, because you've started, go ahead and start us off about what it is. Uh, iVoterGuide is. And then how did we get started?
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Well, I mean you, you said it. iVoterGuide is the largest online voter guide. It's, we like to say it's personalized for every address in America. Voter guides for every address, including yours. Um, and it, it began um, through God speaking to this gentleman who was um, really a politically engaged guy who didn't necessarily need a voter guide because he, he worked with the legislators. He was a lobbyist in Texas. But God kind of convict. One point that, you know, I know a lot of the people in. He was in Texas at the capitol. I know the state legislators, but I've never voted an intelligent ballot from the top to the bottom of the ticket. I mean, so he thought, you know, I know what to look for. So let me start gathering that research. And so he started, you know, at the top of the ticket, went all the way down to justice of the peace and Sheriff. And he um, sent them each a questionnaire, um, just, you know, through the mail, through snail mail of, you know, questions about issues about their values. And um, because he, I mean it was a Christian organization, he wanted to understand their worldview, not just their, you know, policy positions and things like that.
>> Rick Beggs: So, Senator, questionnaire speaking of, we're speaking of Richard.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Yeah, we're speaking of Richard Ford, who was the founder really, uh, of iVoterGuide and so many other things in Texas. Um, he ran the first family Policy Council in Texas, which was the, you know, the arm of Focus on the Family that was working on pro family legislation. He was really the pioneer of doing that, doing that in Texas. That's why he'd worked, you know, with the governor, with all the legislatures in Texas for decades before God gave him this concept of, you know, educating voters and realizing, um, gosh, it's so much easier to pass good legislation if we have good people elected. So let's, let's start educating voters about the people. So you know, he, he sent them all questionnaires. Um, he knew, as I'm sure, you know, Rick, that sometimes candidates will say one thing and do something different.
>> Rick Beggs: No, that doesn't happen. I know that's not, that's not true.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: I know I'm fake news going on here. So. But. But that's why, you know, he sent him questionnaires. But that's what they say they're going to do. So, so then he looked at what they'd done and um, started with uh, if they'd ever held office like state legislature or um, in Congress. And in fact, uh, his, his organization, Richard's organization at the time, created a scorecard where they looked at the state legislators and how they voted on different pro family legislation, pro free market, pro religious liberty legislation, um, and actually how they might vote on the. Against those issues legislation. And they scored them based on, you know, how they voted on those bills. They're called SC cards. And Richard gathered as many scorecards as he could, you know, from the right to life groups, from second Amendment groups, from the fiscal groups, from the other pro Family groups, went to national groups for the federal candidates, you know, for Congress in Texas. And then, you know, uh, you don't have that thing down ballot so much. But then he gathered campaign finance data because who somebody accepts um, money from as a candidate is, uh, you would think somebody that's kind of aligned with them or somebody who's trying to influence them or purchase um, pay for access, uh, or influence. So he looked at who gave money to the different, um, candidates. He also looked at who those candidates as individuals had given money to, because you assume somebody gives money to an organization that they align with, um, ideologically or by values.
>> Rick Beggs: So yeah, we're too married to our money that we wouldn't, we wouldn't cost. Cost that out for ourselves that we wouldn't give to anything that we didn't want to spend money on. Uh, Richard Ford in. I knew Richard Ford in that day and loved him dearly back then. But Richard Ford was a grinder. He not only knew the legislators, he was not happy. If you didn't answer back, he was gonna go get the answers, you know, that just haven't worked with him. I do for several years. But I want to go backwards before we go forwards. You said something at the onset that, uh, he never voted an intelligent ballot.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Yeah.
>> Rick Beggs: Now I, in all honesty, I, I'm not sure. Up until iVoterGuide came, I, I'm not sure I ever voted.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Oh, I'm pretty confident I never did.
>> Rick Beggs: Well, and what, what was odd is that we all have somebody in our life, uh, in our church, our neighbor, somebody who's lined up with us politically. And you, they were the go to person.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Oh yeah.
>> Rick Beggs: And you just said, hey, Debbie, could you tell me who I should be voting for here?
>> Debbie Wuthnow: That was Richard. And honestly, I think that as a citizen, if you don't have that person, you're either not voting or you're not voting very many races on your ballot because. Yeah, too many of us.
>> Rick Beggs: A lot of empty spots.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Yeah, yeah. Oh, just they, you know, so. Oh, I saw that yard sign or I got that flyer. Um, and I've, as I've learned that's not voting intelligently, that's being swayed by propaganda. So yeah, that's okay.
>> Rick Beggs: So move us forward, Richard. Richard had this idea. He gets all this stuff lined up. Mhm. And he puts together, he does.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: So he gathers all the data. Right. He actually would say this was old school. This is, we're talking snail mail. And he, he put it all on paper and filled a 4 inch binder. Because I can remember him describing this to me. A four inch binder.
>> Rick Beggs: I just put my thumb and my finger.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Uh-huh. Exactly four inches of four inches.
>> Rick Beggs: That's huge.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: And a tab for each candidate. So each candidate, he had all that, you know, all their campaign finance, who'd endorsed them, how'd they. Their voting records, their questionnaire answers, um, any other things he could find. He probably, if I know Richard had a tab and a little index thing for each candidate. And then what he did was Richard was a networker. Right. He'd been working and building coalitions for all this legislative law. He knew everybody. So he gathered together in his conference room and he was in Dallas. So he did this in Dallas county because he was doing his own ballot and probably six, six to eight people. And you might, you know, like, uh, people. Kirby Anderson, David Barton, people who were well connected, Richard was connected with. And he gave them each a copy of that binder, and they each talked about every candidate that was in the binder. And at the time, what they did is they graded them. Richard, as you said, was a grinder. He was also pretty strict grader, and it was an A to an F. So if he liked you, you got an A. If he did not like you, you were an F. He. He. He flunked. So he. They graded, talked about all those candidates. I. I would bet it's a hundred at least of candidates just in Dallas County. And then what they did is, you know, this was old school. This was early. I don't know if Internet was around. It was just big baby then. And they, uh, put it on paper, right. They printed it. So they had every candidate's name in their grade. They printed it and just passed it out at churches at Dallas County. And, you know, Richard felt like, okay, I've done my. This is what God called me to do. I've. I've equipped myself and as many people as I can reach contact to vote intelligent, intelligently in Dallas County. And this was in, um. When was this? 2006. No, 2000. Yeah, 2006.
>> Rick Beggs: So. And he was, um. He was also doing statewide things as well, but Dallas specific.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: It was Dallas specific, but it was, um, statewide. Any state legislator or state senator. So the state house in the state senate, he also included the congressman or the senate, you know, if there was a senate on the ballot. Yeah. So his entire ballot, top to the bottom, is what Richard researched and filled his binder with and then passed it out at churches.
>> Rick Beggs: Okay. So now he's got that. And that's a wonderful tool.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: It's a miracle. Once and done. Yeah. Well, God. God wove a tapestry with I voter guides. So Richard was really the foundational thread of maybe the concept of I voter guide and the philosophy of iVoterGuide. And then there was another gentleman God worked with. His name was Jim Sneeringer, and he, um, was a retired IBM programmer. Um, brilliant guy. Um, he's in the Austin area. And he actually wrote Bible study software. I mean, he was just a great little coder. And he, um, even though his kids went to private school, he served on the local school board. So he was also politically involved in the Republican Party. And God gave him the idea of doing a voter guide, but doing it on the Internet because, you know, it was kind of this new thing that was coming around in. In that era. And, um, but Jim thought, I don't know how to do a voter guide. I mean I can do the programming stuff and I got the Internet stuff, but I don't know what to look for as I'm, you know, educating voters. So he just started talking to people. Uh, they, they just started talking to people. And Jim went to the Republican State convention, actually ended up talking to Kelly Shackelford who told him, you need to talk to Richard Ford. So Jim. Kelly must have given him the number. Jim calls Richard out of the blue. Well, you know, as well connected as Richard was, and you and I are probably like this. If I, if that if somebody calls me from a number that's not in my contacts, I don't answer. Richard was the same thing. So I would say the m. First miracle was that Richard answered Jim's phone call and Jim started to describe, you know, this concept of doing a voter guide on the Internet. I just don't know what to look for. And Richard tells the story of holding his fingers up. Do you mean you can take this 4 inch binder full of paper and put it on the Internet? And Jim said, yeah, yeah, I can do that. So really?
>> Rick Beggs: No, I did. First of all, I put my thumb and my finger apart at 4 inches. Again when you said that, it's just mesmerizing when you think about it. But to me this is sort of like uh, uh, chocolate meets peanut butter.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: This is the Reese's peanut butter cup story.
>> Rick Beggs: Yeah. Uh, maybe we can get an AFA gift if we mention Reese's, but. Or at least candy. But I think this is so unique that God would do this. When one guy had an idea, the other guy had the idea that was the vehicle to get it out faster. And God, uh, in his timing, puts them together even though they didn't know each other.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Well, God is the orchestrator, right? He sees all and he knows all and he's got this master plan. And that's really what it took. It was not any one person or idea that created I voter guide. It took both of them. Very different skill sets, very different experience. But, um, you know, Jim said I can do it. And Richard and Jim just started talking all the time on the phone and, or probably on the Internet of, you know, what do I look for, where do I find it, what questions do I ask? And Jim just started coding, um, and creating this whole database of information about candidates and a backend website to gather it all. And you know, uh, we didn't want to gather people around Richard's conference table. So how are we going to gather people on the Internet to sit and talk and, and you know, grade or evaluate all of these candidates. So Jim just, I mean it's a huge system. And Jim just you know, started, just kept knocking away let's build this piece and now let's build that piece. And they did that in Texas in 2000. I think I'm going back. Richard probably did his in 2004 because they did this in 2006.
>> Rick Beggs: Well, it's a very intricate system but this is sort of where you end up showing up on the scene because you weren't born at that point in time to be my voter guy. Yeah, no you didn't let me finish the sentence. I know you were alive, but I did, you were not, you were not born at that moment to be the president. You sort of walked in because God was, he was rattling your cage about what are you gonna do now that you're becoming an empty nester? You're a stay at home mom.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Yes sir. Yes sir. I was, I was a 20 year, very proud and happy. That's what God called me to do. I mean as you know, I, I have a degree in computer science. I, I worked for Bell Laboratories. I, you know, I was out there and about and doing the corporate thing. I, I, I will tell say I went to college for five years and I worked for five years and as soon as God brought me a husband, which he graciously did, and I, and a child, I, I stood, I stayed home and raised my kids and went to Bible study and did things at church and you know, that's, that's the highest calling, such an important thing to raise the next generation. But um, I'm not a sitter Stiller, as I like to say. I'm um, I, I, I don't sit still. Well, I like, I get things done and when my daughter started college I was like, okay, God, you have created me for works and I know you've planned them all in advance but what are you going to do with my empty nest? Because most of what my day involves around, it evolves around my kids and you know, getting them to where they need to go and helping with homework and room mom and you know, band mom and all of that kind of stuff, all the sports. So um, I just asked God, you're going to have to show me what you want, what you've planned for my empty nest because I'm pretty sure a 20 year old computer science degree is beyond what you can use. I'm a dinosaur. So I just um, I prayed for an Open door or an open window? This was back in, um, January of 2011, and I went to my community Bible study teaching director and said, cheryl, will you be a job reference for me? I'm going to look for a job next fall when my daughter becomes a sophomore. Well, her name was Cheryl Snaringer, which, uh, you may connect the name of the computer programmer founder. She came back, um, a week later and said, you know, my husband probably programs this online voter guide, and he's been complaining at the dinner table that he needs somebody to help him with website stuff. Uh, he said he could train somebody with a background because I asked him and she said, are you interested? And to me, that just screamed of God saying, here's your open window. Here's your open door. I, um, this is what I've prepared for you. And I had learned through, you know, life experience that when you pray for an open window and God makes it clear it is one, your answer is yes, here I am, Lord. Use me. Send me. So I said, yeah, I'm interested. And Jim called me, um, interviewed me on the phone. He must have liked what he heard because he said, send me a resume. And I was like, oh, I don't have a resume. So I'm running home and figuring out what to put on the resume and sending that in. And, um, I was, I. He hired me. So by March of the year, I wasn't even going to look for a job till the fall. And by March, I am sitting at my kitchen table on my laptop and Jim's m showing me, you know, here's how you do this thing for the website. Create a subdomain or do this or, um, I just completely saw it as God's provision. It helped me pay for college. It helped me to, um, be more current in my skills. It gave me something to do. But at that point, you know, politics was not something I was involved in at all, other than, you know, I voted. I knew I needed to vote. And, and if I had a friend, I would call that friend and find out who to vote for. Um, but I view it as. It definitely was a calling. And I just, you know, chugged along, learning and growing from both Richard and Jim who were pouring into me. Um, and this was the year iVoterGuide went nationwide. So I'm sorry, I've been confused on my years. But 2008 was the first year they did, um, iVoterGuide. And it was in Texas. 2010. They did it in Texas. And it was, um, after that point that they said, you know, Texas is doing okay. We need to help the rest of the nation. And so when I was asking God for what do you want me to do? Jim was in the process of figuring out, how do I take this thing from just Texas to all 50 states? And that's when he was being overwhelmed. And God brought me in to help.
>> Rick Beggs: And so you're sitting at your kitchen table, just plugging away, learning stuff.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Mhm.
>> Rick Beggs: Becoming this well, uh, versed, actually, uh, new skills that you brought old skills to from your. Because it wasn't like you showed up and didn't know anything. You were able to go figure it out once he gave you a job, but then the job became so much more for you because they, they actually named you director of operations. Director. Yeah.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Yeah. Three years later. Well, Jim used to pull me into meetings with lawyers and other people. I'm like, why am I sitting in this? He's like, you're quick. You pick things up, you ask good questions. I'm like, okay. So, um, in 2014, they named me director of operations, which to me was kind of like being the mom. It was just. And that honestly was my comfort zone. I'm like, you know, every. I know what needs to get done. I know we need a process for this. I know, you know, everybody stay in their lane, Everybody work together, play nicely. You know, it was just, it was comfort zone for me. And, um, I still remember where I was standing two years later when Richard called me on the phone and said, the board has named you executive director. And, uh, after I got my jaw back up off of my chest, I was like, uh, what, what are you. What's going on here? And honestly had a, had a conversation with God and said, what is going on here? What are you doing here? And God, he reminded me, I mean, probably not audibly, but, you know, in my spirit, said, you know, I called you to this. And I'm like, I know. Yes, I do. And you do know that I will equip those that I call. And I, I know that. I'm confident of that. And he's done that for me in the past, so I know that. And, and what was interesting is then God said, and Debbie, you represent the target audience of iVoterGuide. Um, I'm not that person, that people. Yeah, well, and I'm not the person people would call and say, well, I might be now, but at the time it people, uh, nobody asked me, debbie, who should I vote for? I'm like trying to ask everybody else. I knew I was supposed to vote. I knew it was a Christian stewardship. I mean I understood that just from in depth Bible study for, for two decades. But I didn't know what to look for. I didn't know what issues were important. I knew biblical values were important. And to be honest, at that point I was pretty much a pro life voter. I knew God created life and, and I didn't want to kill babies. So that really was my, I don't want to call it gateway drug, but in a way my introductory issue to conservative politics and, and kind of just grew and learned from there. So I, I became executive director in um, 2016 and 2018. They named me president. So I've just been on this God adventure of um, learning more about um, biblical stewardship, learning more about um, how God created the government and how our American government's supposed to work and what is our role in all of that and the vital importance of who we choose to be our leaders. We are so blessed in this nation, but um, too many of us don't participate, don't make our voice heard. So it's really become my passion.
>> Rick Beggs: Well, I think uh, a lot of this is a good window for moms that are at home right now probably facing some of the same issues that you faced about what's next. And I see um, moms who think, well, what do I have to offer? There are so many resources that are learned from mothering and from running a household and from old experience before you became a mom and all of that that God is using to sort of set the table for potentially workforces, involvement in churches, involvement in, in non profit ministries. And here you were, you were open to it, you were led into it, and now you're leading it. What does, uh, what satisfaction do you get or derive from Jesus for him being so intimate with you about where he led you? Because there was no way you saw this.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Uh, no, this, if you had asked me, this would not even have been on the radar. It probably would have been on the back wall. It, you know, just never crossed my mind to be a public figure or involved in anything like this. But I knew I did experience in God early on. So I knew to watch where God was working and join him. I learned to be available and that he would um, guide and direct us. And honestly, you know, there's that footsteps poem that talks about how God walked with us. And I feel like I look back at those footprints and see how God has used all the things that were part of my life. Just absolutely everything, um, from momming things to minors in college. To friendship groups. And, you know, God, you know, God's word never returns vain. And I think that he is working in all of us to create us into what he's planned for us to do. And we just need to be moldable like clay and lean into his plan and his provision. Um, and so I would, I would ask everybody, say, God, what do you want me to do? And then just buckle your seatbelt and be prepared. Because what God has planned for us is so much better than what our, our plans might be. And, uh, it's just, just a peace and a, and a, a hope and a grace and a fulfillment of feeling like you're really where God wants you to be and doing what God wants you to do.
>> Rick Beggs: Isn't it interesting because we find ourselves. You used a term term moments, uh, ago about that you were not political. I think a lot of people get the wrong idea about iVoterGuide because they think, oh, I don't want to. That's political. I don't want to get involved in that. That is not what we are. No, what is iVoterGuide? Why? What. What's the purpose of it?
>> Debbie Wuthnow: There's a button I got at a conference that says, it's not political. It's biblical. So to me, iVoterGuide is a tool for the church to be the salt and light that God wants us to be. Um, as sit, which is citizenship. It's not just sharing the gospel. We need to choose who represents us so we can keep sharing the gospel. Um, it's, it's, it's, um, it's. What's our role in this Ecclesia. If you've heard about the, you know, some pastors will talk about the, the biblical world for the public square. We each have roles there. And iVoterGuide is. Is just a tool that I believe God created for the church to help us be good stewards of that responsibility, to be good biblical citizens.
>> Rick Beggs: Well, Debbie, you know what that sound means? It means we're ready for an election update. As you know, we're in that season of life where elections are happening all the time. Tell me what's happening this week.
>> Debbie Wuthnow: Well, so the elections that iVoterGuide is covering, and in those, we'll be covering the contested candidates in the Republican primaries this coming Tuesday. On May 12th in Nebraska, you're going to have your primary. Your polls are going to open at 8am and they'll close at 8pm Central Time. And then in West Virginia, iVoterGuide is covering, in addition to the Republican contested candidates in the primary, we're covering school board races in Berkeley County, Cable, Jefferson, Maran and Mag Magnolia counties. Your polls open at 6:30 in the morning and close at 7:30. So West Virginia and Nebraska election next Tuesday, but there's a whole bunch of other states that have early voting that's going on. So if you live in Louisiana or Georgia or Idaho or Kentucky, Montana, NewSong Mexico, South Dakota and even Maine, early voting is starting in your states. Um, actually today is the last day of early voting in Louisiana for their election next Saturday on the 16th. But any of those other states, um, go to ivoterguide.com find out where your polling place is or get your ballot in the mail or whatever way you're going to vote. Get your ballot filled out and um, make your voice heard because iVoterGuide there as your resource.
>> Rick Beggs: Well, I love your heart, Debbie. This is going to be a fun show to do because we're going to get to explore a lot of things about the public square that will include voting, elections and those types of things that are very important. Uh, sometimes I don't think. No, a lot of times I don't think the church sees this as important and you and I have experienced that
>> Debbie Wuthnow: when we've been out that'll be a whole topic.
>> Rick Beggs: Uh, yeah, we will spend time with that was we come draw to the end of this show, Debbie. Uh, we'll probably uh, move into how does I voter guide work and so I look forward to having that discussion with you. Any last word you'd like to say?
>> Debbie Wuthnow: I'm just so excited for this opportunity, Rick. It's great hanging out with you and for the listeners. I love, um, spending time with you and bringing you along on our journey as we participate in the public square.
>> Rick Beggs: Well, uh, we hope you'll come back and visit us. So until next week, thank you for listening. Jesus is our due north on the compass.
