Vote on Election Day Reminder

CHURCH BULLETIN INSERT REMINDING CONGREGANTS TO VOTE: BULLETIN 

Information

INFO FOR CITIZENS
INFO FOR PASTORS

Resources

STATEWIDE VOTER GUIDE
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ORANGE COUNTY VOTERS GUIDE
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VENTURA COUNTY VOTERS GUIDE
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VENTURA COUNTY VOTERS GUIDE double
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As a Citizen, here is how you can get involved:

1. Become a voter registration church coordinator:

• This “point person” is responsible for getting the congregation active in the political life of the community by:
  
  • Conducting non-partisan voter registration and get-out-the-vote drives.
  • Educating the congregation on getting involved, biblical teaching on civil government, issues, and candidates’ positions.
  • Encouraging neighborhood and block level political involvement.

2. Place a voter registration display in a visible location.

3. Provide voter registration forms and vote at home forms.

• Available at local post offices, county registrar of voters, and local Secretary of State offices. Register to vote here

4. Citizen Sunday

• Designate a series of Sundays as “Citizen Sunday” to register voters.

5. Display the Americans of Faith poster (download now)

6. Provide voter guides and sample ballots:

• During election years, many churches make voter guides available to their members. This is permissible educational activity as long as the guides do not reflect a partiality, which could be misunderstood as an endorsement of a particular party or candidate. See Legal Rights
• Educate members about the ballot process by showing them how easy it is. This makes them more likely to vote on Election Day.

7. On the Sunday before an election, remind the congregation about the civic duty to vote. 

Download this list of ways citizens can get involved and share it with your friends and family

As a Pastor, here is how you can get involved:

1. Assign a voter registration church coordinator who is motivated to get others registered to vote. See Citizen involvement above.

2. Designate four weekends as “Citizen Sunday” to register voters.

3. Give a sermon on a Christian’s civic responsibility to vote.

4. Ask those not registered to vote to raise their hand and distribute voter registration materials to them.

5. Ask those who are registered to vote to fill out a vote at home form. We have found that those who fill out a vote at home form are more likely to cast their vote than those who are only registered to vote.

6. Have ushers collect the forms. We have found that merely providing voter registration forms at the back of the church is not adequate. Taking additional measures is necessary for meaningful results.

7. Bulletin inserts:

• Distribute Register to Vote and Citizen Sunday bulletin inserts encouraging voter registration.
• Distribute the enclosed bulletin inserts on Citizen Sunday and the last Sunday before Election Day. 

 Download this list of ways pastors can get involved

Pastor’s Talking Points:    download the Pastor's Talking Points

1. What does the Bible Say?

• As examples, Christians are called to be a voice of restoration, not condemnation (Romans 14:1).
• We must love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39)Love involves a sense of outrage in the face of evil (Matthew 21:12)
• Love requires that we take action (Luke 10:25-37).
• We must take seriously man’s physical, emotional, and social needs (Matthew 25:31:46).
• Good works are a consequence of evangelism (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:12-14).
• We have a duty to government, including participation (Mark 12:13-17).
• Government is ordained of God to reward good and punish evil (Romans 13:1-4).
• We are to show others, by example, that biblical morality is the foundation for the best public policy.

2. One Vote Counts:

• ONE VOTE kept Aaron Burr from becoming President; that ONE VOTE elected Thomas Jefferson in 1800.
• California, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, and Washington became states by ONE VOTE.
• Woodrow Wilson was elected President in 1916 by carrying one state by less than ONE VOTE per precinct.
• In 1941, ONE VOTE saved Selective Service just weeks before Pearl Harbor
• In 1948, Lyndon B. Johnson (our 36th President), became senator by ONE VOTE.

3. Voter Registration and Turnout:

• In 2000, 15 million of 60 million evangelicals voted.
• In 2004, organizations like Americans of Faith helped to drive 13.9 million more Christians to the polls. An estimated 28.9 million Christians voted in 2004, which is an increase of 93%!
• In 2006 voting efforts were on the decline: there was a 30% decrease in Christian voter turnout, falling from 28.9 million evangelicals down to 20.5 million.

4. The Christian and Government:

• As Christians, we have a responsibility to apply the Bible’s truth to every aspect of our lives—whether the role is as a spouse, parent, worker, or citizen.
• Carl Henry, the father of the modern evangelical movement, said this: “The Christian is not, by his church identification, isolated from humanity, or from involvement in the political and economic orders. Not only is he called to identify himself with society: he is identified, by the very fact of his humanity, and as a Christian he bears a double responsibility in relation to the social needs and goals of mankind.” (Salt and Light: Evangelical Political Thought in Modern America).
• J.C. Ryle, the great evangelical expositor of the 19th century, said this: “Separation from the world does not mean that Christians should take no interest in anything except religion. Some may think it very spiritual to neglect science, art, literature, and politics, to read no books except spiritual ones, to read no newspapers and to know nothing about the government of their country. I think that is an idle and selfish neglect of duty. Paul valued good government (I Timothy 2:1-2); he quoted heathen writers in his sermons; he knew the law and customs of the world, as we see from his illustrations. Christians who pride themselves on ignorance bring religion into contempt.” (Walking With God).