How to Vote Catholic
Introduction
Catholics make up about 30 percent of those who vote in national elections. These 30 million Catholics have the power to make our country a better nation—more welcoming to life, more supportive of families, and more effective in its programs to help the poor and marginalized.
Furthermore, Catholics who attend Mass regularly vote more often and express heightened concern for issues at the core of the Church's social teaching. Once politicians notice that Catholics vote their values, the faithful will have an opportunity to influence their leaders.
But there are a few things to remember.
First, Catholics who vote should not worry about "imposing" their values on others. The U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing the legality of slavery would never have been overturned if men and women of faith had chosen to keep their religious convictions private. The voters who supported Lincoln didn't worry about "imposing" their faith in ending the scourge of slavery.
Catholics do not seek laws requiring citizens to attend church or observe Lenten fasts. On the contrary, Catholics advocate the protection of basic human rights through legislation and policy, such as the right to life and the right to educational freedom. Laws and policies embody the values we as a nation agree to live by.
Second, Catholics know that the protection of the unborn is the "dominant issue" among all political issues. Though some have criticized Catholics as being "single-issue" voters, the principle underlying the rejection of abortion extends to other issues, such as bioethics, population, euthanasia, and defense. The mandate to protect life in politics is unconditional and should be our foremost consideration.
Third, not all the policy positions taken by candidates are of equal importance to Catholics. As dominant-issue voters, Catholics should learn to give various issues their proper priority, thus preserving the hierarchy of values at the core of Church teaching.
There is no need for any Catholic who enters the voting booth to leave any part of the Faith outside. The tradition of Catholic moral and social teaching is a practical voting guide second to none.
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