The Responsibility to Vote

A number of adults in the United States are not registered to vote, and many of those who are registered choose not to vote. The reasons often cited are that it is inconvenient or that one vote doesn’t matter. This defeatist attitude leads to low voter registration and low turnout at elections. Is there any compelling reason why Catholics should vote in civil elections?

Catholic or not, it is important for American citizens to be involved in politics. In order to "secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity," as the Preamble to the Constitution says, Americans must accept their moral obligation to participate in the political life of our country. Does the Catholic Church care whether or not you vote?

Paragraph 2239 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: “It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. … Service of the common good require(s) citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community.”

One of the roles we have as citizens – one of the ways we contribute to the good of society – is by taking an active role in electing civil officials. While educating ourselves about the issues may not be exciting, we have a responsibility to do just that in order to make informed choices at the polls. As a people who have chosen to follow Christ, we have an obligation to share the Gospel, by word and deed, in all areas of our lives. This should be manifested in how we vote. But how do we determine what the real issues are?

The Catechism helps by giving general guidelines about the rights that must be ensured for everyone. These include “the freedom to establish a family, have children, and bring them up in keeping with the family's own moral and religious convictions; the protection of the stability of the marriage bond and the institution of the family; … the right to private property, to free enterprise, to obtain work and housing, and the right to emigrate; …the right to medical care, assistance for the aged, and family benefits; (and) the protection of security and health… (Paragraph 2211)”

These concerns are especially important when considering that our nation is in the midst of an economic crisis. We are blessed to have a Church that gives us principles to use as we analyze economic life in the context of our faith.  The challenge is clear: Are we willing to educate ourselves on the issues? Are we willing to exercise our right to vote? And are we willing to let our faith inform our choices?