Hudson & Fournier: Catholic Countdown to Election 2012, Day 16. Catholics Must Vote!

By Deal W Hudson and Keith A Fournier
10/21/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

In the context of America's political landscape it's an irresponsible failure to help determine what the country will be like in 10, 20, 50, or 100 years from now.

There was one moment, however, when Archbishop Chaput's intensity level hit a fever pitch: "It's a sin if you do not vote in the upcoming election." In the midst of a speech about the importance of the settled, non-negotiable issues at stake in the upcoming election -- life, marriage, religious liberty -- his particular attention to the simple obligation of every adult Catholic to vote was an important reminder about elections: Regardless of the worthiness of one candidate versus another, elections are decided by which side "gets out the vote."

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WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - On October 14, Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia stood behind a podium in the gymnasium of St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Chester Springs, PA. His speech on politics had been eagerly anticipated for weeks, and the 500 people who filled the seats were not disappointed -- the Archbishop was honest, incisive, and uncompromising.

Catholic voters are considered a key voting group -- not voting bloc! As 25 percent of the national vote in presidential elections, even a small percentage of Catholic voters who "swing" the other way can change the election outcome. Twenty-five percent is slightly higher than the percentage of Catholics in the nation, which is 22 percent. Usually, Catholics constitute a larger percentage of a state's total vote than their percentage of the population. Such is the case in Pennsylvania where 29 percent of the population is Catholic, but 37 percent of the voters in 2008 were Catholic.

In 2008, 130,000,000 Americans voted, the most ever to vote in a national election. Roughly 32,500,000 of those voters were Catholic. Using those numbers as a baseline, a 1 percent increase in Catholic voters adds 800,000 votes, a 2 percent increase adds 1,600,000 votes! When you spread these additional votes around the key battleground states of Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Hampshire, and Nevada where Catholics are numerous, the outcome can be changed as a consequence.

Catholics should take advantage of those states where ballots can be cast prior to election day. For example, in Ohio voters can cast their ballots early, on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday without giving a reason for voting early. The Supreme Court this past Tuesday upheld the change made in Ohio's election laws brought about by a lawsuit from the Obama campaign and the Ohio Democratic Party.

Ohio is only one of 34 states where early voting is available -- analysts have argued that the Obama campaign's 2008 wins in Ohio, North Carolina, and Florida were the result of an aggressive effort to get out the vote before election day. Thirty percent of Ohio's votes were cast prior to Nov. 7 in 2008.

Perhaps, after looking at these numbers and the role of early voting, we can understand why Archbishop Chaput would use the word "sin" to describe the Catholic who fails to cast his or her vote on November 6, 2012. Yes, the Catechism of the Catholic Church spells out the obligation of every Catholic "to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one's country" (CCC #2240), but there is also the fact recognized by every political scientist that Catholic voters determine who becomes our president and who does not.

Of course, it's not accurate theologically to argue that the impact of U.S. Catholic voters makes the sin of not voting even more sinful. We could put it a different way, however, and say, along with the Archbishop, that for a Catholic not to vote is a "sin". It is, to use one helpful explanation of sin in the Catholic Catechism, an "abuse of freedom". (CCC #1731 - 1748). In the context of America's political landscape it's an irresponsible failure to help determine what the country will be like in 10, 20, 50, or 100 years from now.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: vote, catholic vote, Archbishop Chaput, faithful citizenship, political responsibility, early voting, Deal W Hudson, Keith A Fournier

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

Bill Sr.
6 months ago

We have those who are adamant about correcting the problem right now with the immediate reversal of Roe vs. Wade by people of good will on the grounds abortion is always and in every case wrong. That is quite possible. All it would take is for Jesus himself to step forth put his foot down and says it is so. Anyone think that is going to happen now or during the next congress? Then there are those with little real concern about what is happening to our society as long as they are not personally affected so they will go along with whatever the law permits. Somewhere in the middle of the discussion are those who are seriously concerned with what is and has happened to our society over the last half century and want to turn the tide of debauchery awash in our nation as a result of power hungry civil authorities, in order to please their various constituency and garner favor and votes enough to remain in control of the majority, in defiance of moral and natural law been so arrogant as to grant rights and privileges to certain groups and activists whose lifestyles are constrained by these eternal moral sanctions. Our imperfect but hollowed nation by the grace of God was founded on these laws and over the years was tested in the fires of truth and justice becoming the greatest of them all, a garden of freedom and liberty for the world. This, by nature of our fallen condition, only served as the most favorable target for the Deceiver, again. It took time and a devious slow erosion of our Judeo- Christian values to establish the Culture of Death and it is going to take time for people of good will to civilly deconstruct its house of horrors seeking dominion of our society. Unfortunately there are even among us some who would, as Peter, be willing to take up the sword in defense of truth but that is against all we stand for as Catholics. We must, with charity and trust in Divine Providence, fight the good fight one battle at a time to FIRST win the hearts and minds of men with the truth of scripture and right reason using the proven wisdom of the Church of Christ and her teaching to enable them to see the sheer evil within selfish desires of the flesh and the path of destruction it leads to when we reject the Word of God. This is the root of the problem. Real change and the cleansing of the society will come within our system only when a majority see the light of truth and embrace Life from its beginning. Hopefully we can use this election to take the first steps toward install legislators who can and will promise to hear our voices and begin our journey out of the wilderness. Pray and vote for a CHANGE of heart for Americans to bring HOPE for our children, born and unborn
John
7 months ago
It is that time to separate the Cafeteria catholics from The Real Ones. " from their fruits you will know trhem".
jh
7 months ago
God bless Archbishop Chaput for speaking directly. In addition, may we always remember soldiers who died so that we have the great privilege of voting.
Tom McGuire
7 months ago
For day 16 your article presents a lot of election statistics. I can get statistics from many sources. But where can I get an evaluation of candidates in terms of Catholic Social Doctrine?

The statement signed by 100 Catholic Theologians, "On Our Shoulders, A Call to Catholics to Protect the Common Good" gives us some important principles about the definition of a person. This is a relavant issue as it is basic to an understanding of Catholic Social Doctrine. How one defines a person makes a great deal of difference in the development of policy. The statement says:

"The Catholic view of the human person is social not individual. Congressman Ryan has stated that he learned from Rand to view all policy questions as a "fight of individualism versus collectivism." [7] The Catholic Church does not espouse "individualism," but rather sees it as an error as destructive as collectivism. [8] Blessed John Paul II described "individualism" as a dimension of the "Culture of Death" arising from an "eclipse of the sense of God." [9] The human person is "by its innermost nature, a social being. ["10] We are radically dependent upon and responsible for one another. Again, in the words of John Paul II, "We are all really responsible for all." This truth of the human person is tied to the central doctrines of the Church. It reflects the very "intimate life of God, one God in three Persons."

When the new administration takes office, how will a person be defined? In terms of Objectivist Ethics of Ayn Rand or in terms of Catholic Social Doctrine?
John Earl
7 months ago
If you find friends that cannot be convinced by the evil of abortion try a social-cultural approach. I tell my senior citizen friends that a political party that spends so much time,energy and capital to snuff out life in it's first nine months will not be concerned about you in your last nine years. It gets them thinking.
DarthJ
7 months ago
Virgil Goode is the only 100% pro-life candidate.

Virgil Goode of the Constitution Party 2012!

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