By Natalie F. Jones

Roy Freer – Active Faithful
Age: 67
Hometown: Leesburg, Texas
Occupation: Cattle rancher

For more than 40 years, Texas cattleman Roy Freer voted in every election he could. In 2008, he voted for John McCain.

Then, in 2009, he and his wife joined the Living Church of God, a religious community that preaches to its members that they should not vote for political leaders. They believe the bible says choosing leaders is God’s domain.

He hasn’t voted since.

“I did not see that the system was being changed, whether the person I voted for got elected or not,” Freer said. He thinks politicians are only out to help themselves, not people like him.

But that doesn’t mean Freer, who lives in a rural area in East Texas, has dropped out of his community. He said he still keeps an eye on what the politicians are doing, even if he doesn’t believe in them.

“You’re not supposed to be an ostrich with your head in the sand,” he said. “You have to understand what is happening in the world, and once you understand what is happening in the world, you can run your life in the right direction.”

He tries to help his community by helping individuals in need. Recently, he has been helping a woman fix up her house. He avoids volunteering in community groups anymore, although he had been active in the Jaycees for years. He said there was more talk than action in the group efforts.

On Election Day, he had a regular day of work on the ranch, then watched the election returns and went to bed as usually at about 10 p.m. The next morning, he woke to the news of President Barack Obama’s re-election, which he said confirmed his view that when people meddle in the affairs of politics, God retaliates by choosing the worst leader.