After-Mass crowds among those urged to register to vote

Published: 2004-08-31

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- As the election draws near, donuts and bulletins are not the only things being handed out after Sunday Mass. Many parishes are also offering voter registration forms. Tables in church lobbies and just outside the front doors are not decorated with candidates' brochures or political party posters but simply stocked with plenty of pens, voter registration applications, clipboards and an occasional magnifying glass to help applicants read the small print. To those who may think voter registration drives don't belong in church settings, organizers are quick to point out that Catholics have a moral obligation to be a part of the political process and the best place to start is with the ballot. Parishes and church-sponsored organizations, because of their tax-exempt status, are prohibited from directly participating in political campaign activities, but are permitted to conduct nonpartisan voter registration drives or to provide voter education materials on a wide range of issues without bias for or against candidates or political parties. Many state Catholic conferences have been helping parishes set up these voter registration drives using information from kits distributed to the dioceses earlier this year by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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