As voters weigh their choices this election season, I’d urge them to place character above all else when evaluating a candidate.

Policy positions matter, but they shift with circumstance, compromise and changing times. Character does not. A candidate’s honesty, integrity and consistency reveal how they’ll actually govern once the campaign promises fade and the hard decisions begin.

Tribal affiliation and political party matter to many voters, and understandably so. But neither is determinative if the candidate’s character is missing. A leader who shares our tribe or our party but lacks integrity will still fail us when it counts. Loyalty to a group is no substitute for a person’s honesty and follow-through.

We’ve all seen leaders who talked a good game on the issues we cared about, only to abandon those commitments the moment it became politically convenient. A person of strong character, by contrast, can be trusted to act with the same principles in private that they profess in public — even when no one is watching, even when it costs them politically.

Look past the slogans and ask: Does this person keep their word? Do they treat others with respect, even those who disagree with them? Have they shown accountability when they’ve made mistakes?

Policies can be debated and revised. Character is the foundation everything else is built on. Vote accordingly.

Paul G. Southland