I have been a Republican my entire adult life. I have voted Republican, supported Republican candidates and believed in the principles that brought me to the party in the first place.

But I have to admit something that is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: I am not happy with what I see happening in North Carolina or across this country.

I find myself more unsettled than I have ever been heading into an election. November is approaching, and for the first time in a long time, I am genuinely scared about the decisions I will have to make when I walk into the voting booth.

That is not an easy thing for a lifelong Republican to say.

I believe in personal responsibility. I believe government should be accountable to the people it serves. I believe in fiscal responsibility, safe communities, strong families and the freedom to disagree with one another without treating our neighbors as enemies.

But I also believe that our political affiliations should never become more important than our principles—or our country.

What troubles me is how difficult it has become to have a political conversation without anger, fear and loyalty to a party taking over. Too often, it seems that we are being asked to choose sides first and ask questions later.

I don't want to vote out of fear. I don't want to vote simply because a candidate has an “R” beside their name. And I don't want to abandon the values that have guided me for decades simply because the political landscape has changed.

I want to be able to look at every candidate and ask: Are you honest? Do you respect the people you represent? Will you work for people who didn't vote for you? Will you tell the truth when the truth is inconvenient? And will your decisions leave North Carolina and this country stronger for the next generation?

Those seem like reasonable questions. Maybe they're even more important now than they have ever been.

So this November, I will be doing something I wish more of us would do: I will be thinking carefully about every choice on my ballot.

I am still a Republican. But being a Republican, or a Democrat, or anything else should never relieve any of us of the responsibility to think for ourselves.

Our votes belong to us. Our conscience belongs to us. And I believe both deserve to be taken seriously.