by Pastor Michael Salemink
Election Day is approaching. Thanks be to God that we get to participate in representative government, contribute to the common good, serve our neighbors, share life together, and advocate for righteousness. What a privilege, opportunity, and even responsibility!
Several states are entertaining ballot initiatives concerning the sanctity of every human life. These include Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota. You can learn the details about each of these from our friends at Priests For Life: https://www.stateballotmeasures.org/. (In summary, they all ask for expanding abortion access, and so a “no” vote on each one would maintain life-saving restrictions and regulations.) Please share this information with your neighbors, congregations, and communities!
Of course, the sanctity of life means that everyone’s voice counts. The National Association of Secretaries of State has a convenient online portal where you can check your voting registration status: https://www.nass.org/can-I-vote/voter-registration-status. And you can encourage and even assist those around you to confirm their registration there as well. (If they discover they haven’t registered, you can easily navigate the link to each state’s website to do so or just use https://vote.gov.) You might also consider offering to transport neighbors with mobility difficulties to the polling place.
Want to exercise your Gospel-motivated voice even more actively? National Right to Life has affiliates in every state that prepare voter guides. Find your locale here and educate yourself (and your loved ones!) about candidate positions: https://nrlc.org/about/stateaffiliates/. (Many of them also organize phone bank calling campaigns in which you can chat with prospective voters from your own home!) Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America will compensate you for canvassing door-to-door and connecting with your fellow citizens as they prepare to vote: https://sbaprolife.org/voter-contact-program.