I swore an oath to the Constitution, not a political party

By: Ben Baltz

Outlets: Louisiana Illuminator

Published: April 9, 2026

Words: 609

Last Updated: 3 months, 1 week ago

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I took my first oath to defend the U.S. Constitution when I was 17 years old.

Growing up, we watched the news every night and saw two kinds of stories side by side: American service members killed overseas, and elections in other countries marred by bombings, kidnappings and violence.

Even then, I found myself asking a basic question: Why were American elections more stable than so many others, and what made them worth …

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