Elections Guidelines for Parishes & Schools
Maryland voters will head to the polls this fall to elect a governor, U.S. senator, eight U.S. Congressmen, and 188 members of the Maryland General Assembly, among others. This page provides resources and guidelines to assist parishes, schools, and other Catholic organizations in promoting faithful citizenship. Questions should be directed to the Maryland Catholic Conference at 410-269-1155 or 301-261-1979. These guidelines have been approved by the Maryland Catholic Conference Board of Governors.
To help form consciences, the Maryland Catholic Conference is providing voter education materials (in both English and Spanish) to all parishes in the state. Pastors are encouraged to use all of these resources, which include:
Individuals must be registered in order to vote, and holding a parish-based voter registration drive (VRD) is an excellent way to encourage faithful citizenship. Parishes interested in holding a VRD should contact the Conference for more specific direction on conducting a successful VRD. Some of the basic guidelines are:
Non-partisan candidate forums allow Catholic voters to hear directly from those seeking public office and are encouraged. All parishes interested in hosting a candidate forum must contact the Conference. The Conference will help draft appropriate questions and can provide other assistance. Candidate forums must invite all candidates for a particular office and no bias for or against any candidate or party may be shown.
During election cycles, candidates who currently hold a particular elected office may make presentations as part of their official capacities or as experts on an issue. However, the following precautions must be taken: the individual must speak only in the capacity of an elected official or expert, and not as a candidate; no mention should be made of the candidacy and no campaign activity should occur at the event or in communications regarding it; and a nonpartisan atmosphere should be maintained at the event. Presentations by elected officials should always conform to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Catholics in Political Life document.
The staff of the Maryland Catholic Conference is happy to make a presentation to your parish, school, or group on faithful citizenship, the elections, and issues of importance to the Church. Presentations are reserved to groups of 20 or more and may be scheduled by contacting the Conference.
The Maryland Catholic Advocacy Network (CAN) is an e-mail based system that alerts members to public policy issues of concern to the Church and directly connects them with legislators to make their voices heard. If your parish would like to hold a registration drive for CAN, please contact the Conference.
While individuals are free to engage in partisan politics, churches and other 501(c)(3) institutions that qualify for tax-exempt status under the Internal Revenue Code are not. The Church and Church organizations are not to be involved in partisan politics. Expressions of preference for a political party and of direct or indirect support for or opposition to specific candidates or political parties are not permissible. Advocacy for or against a specific issue or ballot proposal, however, is permissible and encouraged.
Priests and other Church leaders are urged to avoid endorsements, contributions, electioneering, or other partisan political activity. Although personal endorsements are not prohibited, it may be difficult to separate personal activity from one’s role as a representative of the Church. Officials and employees of the Church, acting in their individual capacities on political matters, should make clear that they are not acting as representatives of the Church.
Pastors and other Church representatives should be wary of outside organizations seeking to distribute election-related materials through parishes. Issues covered in outside materials may not address the range of issues of importance to the Church. Moreover, their content, format, and presentation may not satisfy IRS regulations applicable to Catholic organizations. Though distribution of these materials elsewhere may have value, they may not be appropriate for distribution in Catholic parishes.
The Maryland Catholic Conference Board of Governors often speaks to issues both moral and political. The consistent ethic of life demands a concern for all the weak and vulnerable members of our society throughout all phases of life, and must be promoted through the Church’s social teaching and its applications to today’s concerns. The independence and integrity of the Church’s social teaching must be maintained. To this end:
The Maryland Catholic Conference Board of Governors reaffirms the long-standing prohibition of the distribution of election-year materials in parishes and schools unless published by the diocesan bishop, the Maryland Catholic Conference, or the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
All questions regarding appropriate election-related activities in parishes or schools should be referred to the Maryland Catholic Conference (410-269-1155 or 301-261-1979) or a diocesan attorney.
If your parish is interested in holding a voter registration drive, candidate forum, or faithful citizenship presentation, please contact the Conference at 410-269-1155 or 301-261-1979. Additional resources, including Spanish-language resources, are also available here or at www.faithfulcitizenship.org.