Arlene,
 
People have paid with their blood for the right to VOTE. And as far as "our relationship with the world must be a more distant one," how DISTANT are you talking about? Are we supposed to bury our heads in the sand and let those who deal in drugs, child prostitution, and pornography take over our neighborhoods and cities, kidnap and molest our children? Maybe no one in Ninevah voted, but it sure was a good thing for their generation that they all got their heads together and listened to the man of God and REPENTED, because had they not done so, their city would have been destroyed completely. As it was, they were given a grace period because of their national repentance!  You said you wanted some verses? Well - here are a few for you:  How about II Chron 7:14?
 
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
 
He didn't say, if my people turn inward and forget about those around them going to hell, I'll heal their land. This promise denotes ACTION on our part! We can ACTIVELY hold off God's judgment against our land by our actions, prayer, repentance and fasting! You said that we should NEVER try to put people into power by voting, campaigning, that it was all God's doing and we should not participate. You mean being a total pacifist, don't you? We are not to LOVE the world, but God never commanded any of us to be pacifist! When he said "turn the other cheek," he wasn't talking about having a pedophile move in next to you, who decides to abduct your daughter, then giving him your other daughter to pacify him. Paul admitted that being single was better than being married because "he that is married careth for the things of the world, how he may please his wife."  (I Cor 7:33) He admits that someone who is married is going to be more concerned about what is going on in the world around him for the sake of his wife and his love for her than a single person would be, but he does not condemn the man for caring "for the things of the world" for his wife's sake.
 
We are also told in Romans 12:18: If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live  peaceably with all men."   One of the reasons that God desires people live in peace is because you can sure get the gospel out to the world when you are living in PEACE and not in war! Living peaceably with all men denotes action on our part! If you let vile, reprobates take over your government, there is no way you are going to live PEACEABLY and history proves this! Your pacifist attitude is not scriptural.  You can be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good at all. God often gives people what they DESERVE and he also will often give them exactly what they ask for. To take the attitude that you have taken implies that we should go about our day to day lives and not even bother with prayer or fasting. If we are just passing through and everything turns out exactly as God wills it, why bother praying and fasting over anything? The entire Book of Acts tells us otherwise! God IS MOVED by prayer and fasting and often changes HISTORY and lives because of it! And NOT voting is NOT a vote for God. That is absolutely ludicrous!  The tide of EVIL in this world is held back by the Holy Spirit indwelling BELIEVERS in this world, believers who are active in doing God's work and part of that work is seeking RIGHTEOUSNESS!  And part of that involves putting people in positions of power who are righteous, God-fearing people! Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.   (Prov 14:34).  You can't have a righteous nation unless you elect leaders who are God-fearing RIGHTOUS people!
 
Rene