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Pennsylvania
Council
of
Churches
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If
you are a citizen of the United States, you have a responsibility to
participate in the political process by voting. As Christians,
we have a responsibility to ensure that we elect persons of
character who will work to ensure: 1)
fair representation for all; and 2) passage of just and fair
legislation, with sufficient resources to provide for implementation
and enforcement. To carry out your responsibility, you must be
registered to vote.
If you are a leader in the faith community, it is always appropriate
to remind people in the pews to register and to vote, and to keep
them informed about their rights as voters.
We strongly urge you to remind people that voting is their
responsibility as people of faith and citizens of this nation.
To help you respond faithfully to your civic
responsibilities, the Council’s Public Advocacy Action Team is
pleased to offer A
Guide to Voter Registration and Absentee Voting as
a camera-ready a bulletin insert. (requires Acrobat Reader)
Included
below is information and links to resources that may be helpful in
educating congregations about voting and other election year
resources for congregations:
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Protecting
the Vote -- The
Election Protection Coalition, a group formed to identify and
stamp out attempts to disenfranchise voters, has established a
hotline, 1-866-OUR VOTE, to provide assistance to voters who
encounter irregularities, inaccessible polling places, or feel they are not being treated
fairly at the polls. Voters who call the hotline will
immediately be put in touch with volunteers in their local area.
On Election Day in November, the coalition expects to
have as many as 25,000 volunteers, including 5,000 lawyers,
available to help. The
Coalition is also urging people to call the hot line now if they
are aware of efforts to discourage or prevent people from
voting. The NALEO
Educational Fund has launched a national bilingual hotline,
1-866-839-8682, aimed at Hispanic voters, designed to provide
information, document complaints, and work with election
officials to correct problems. In Pennsylvania, the League of Women Voters provides a statewide hotline for
voter assistance at (800) 692-7281.
For voter
registration forms
For deadlines
and election dates
For “Ready,
Set, Vote”
(www.dos.state.pa.us/voting/site/default/asp)
- a voters guide that
provides a
wealth of information on voting in Pennsylvania,
including
answers to
frequently asked questions. It is available in
both English
and Spanish
(go to "Quick Links" box for English,
"Votos Espanol"
for
Spanish).
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World
Council of Churches - focuses
on global issues, primarily issues related to
peacemaking/overcoming violence, HIV/AIDS, hunger, and other
issues that are impacting our brothers and sisters around the
world.
Resources for the Decade to Overcome Violence (www.overcomingviolence.org)
are very good.
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FaithfulDemocracy.org
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focuses on election year information and issues for people
of faith, and contains links to denominational resources for an
election year.
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