Haven't signed into your Scholastic account before?
Teachers, not yet a subscriber?
Subscribers receive access to the website and print magazine.
You are being redirecting to Scholastic's authentication page...
Announcements & Tutorials
Explore Primary Sources
How Students and Families Can Log In
1 min.
Setting Up Student View
Sharing Articles with Your Students
2 min.
Interactive Activities
4 min.
Sharing Videos with Students
Using Upfront with Educational Apps
5 min.
Join Our Facebook Group!
Exploring the Archives
Powerful Differentiation Tools
3 min.
World and U.S. Almanac & Atlas
Subscriber Only Resources
Access this article and hundreds more like it with a subscription to The New York TImes Upfront magazine.
Article Options
Presentation View
The Dilemma
Pixel-shot/Alamy Stock Photo (money); Shutterstock.com (all other images)
Campaign Contributions
I have felt uncomfortable with the idea of donating money to candidates in elections in which I have no voting rights, such as senators in other states. But individual elected officials outside my state do have a powerful effect on the entire country. Is it appropriate for me to donate to candidates in elections in which I cannot vote? —Christine, Seattle
You are absolutely entitled to help candidates from districts and states other than your own. As you recognize, the effects politicians have aren’t confined to their immediate constituencies. On the contrary, the prospects for our country depend on who holds elective offices at every level. For one thing, representatives from each of the states in the U.S. House and Senate vote on national legislation. For another, policies in one state affect what happens in others. We are one nation; if we’re to aim at liberty and justice for all, we need to do it together.—Adapted from “The Ethicist” in The New York Times Magazine