This question originally appeared on Quora. 
By Eric Pepke
Most of the campaign issues don't really matter. They are either issues where a candidate can sound good but has very little influence, or the influence is short-lived, or so much depends on congress. Plus, what the candidates either would do or in the case of Obama have done are quite different from the voters' beliefs.
No matter how much they or you want it, Obama is not going to make a new New Deal, nor is Romney going to destroy the old New Deal. Reproductive rights, women's issues, the economy, and most of the other campaign issues aren't going to change much, at least not predictably. The one actual governance issue on which the President has some power, foreign policy, is also not going to change much. Neither is going to start another profligate war, and both are abysmal at protocol and diplomacy. So most policy issues really don't matter very much, and even if they do, it's a mere four years.
There is, however, one issue which is significant: appointment of Supreme Court justices. This will actually happen, will be important for the next couple of decades, and will be different. The Supreme Court is dominated by very conservative Catholics.
Now, the Supreme Court is unlike the rest of the government. The President, senators, and representatives win popularity contests. The President represents a party. The Senate is a shouting match between States. The House is a shouting match between districts.
The Supreme Court is supposed to be a few highly intelligent individuals, in an environment where they can have actual serious discussions, defending the Constitution and representing all of the US. Even if one believes that very conservative Catholics are the best people on the planet, one has to admit that the Supreme Court does not represent all Americans very well. Under Romney, one can expect the Supreme Court to become less representative, and under Obama more representative.
On this single issue, I'm going to be voting for Obama.