Be Catholic. Vote Catholic.
Catholics are called to participate in elections by evaluating candidates with a conscience formed by the truths of the faith. This website provides numerous resources to Catholics in Michigan who are preparing to vote in the November 2024 election.
Christ calls each person to be a light in the world. As the general election approaches this fall, Catholics can be such a light by putting on the “mind of Christ” before voting. This edition of Focus is intended to help Catholics in Michigan embrace the vocation of a faithful citizen in the 2024 election and beyond.
Para leer y compartir una versión digital de Focus en español, visite cthl.cc/votocatolico.
For faith to inform one’s participation in civic life, forming a Catholic conscience becomes an important first step. A Catholic conscience is best formed through prayer and regular reception of the sacraments, along with reading Scripture and the spiritual and teaching resources handed down by the Church.
Merciful Father, thank you for inviting each of us to join in your work of building the kingdom of love, justice, and peace.
Draw us close to you in prayer as we discern your call in our families and communities.
Send us forth to encounter all whom you love: those not yet born, those in poverty, those in need of welcome.
Inspire us to respond to the call to faithful citizenship, during election season and beyond.
Help us to imitate your charity and compassion and to serve as models of loving dialogue.
Teach us to treat others with respect, even when we disagree, and seek to share your love and mercy.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Catholic voters should ask themselves if candidates embody the principles of Catholic social teaching, and if so, how.
Voting as a faithful citizen not only involves conscience formation in accordance with Church teachings, but also evaluation of the candidates ahead of voting.
How can a faithful citizen engage in research of candidates? In Michigan, every registered voter can view the candidates for the upcoming election on his or her ballot via the Michigan Voter Information Center.
The following list provides a few suggestions for researching candidates. Keep in mind that no single source will provide the most complete picture—or even the most accurate picture—of a candidate’s qualifications and his or her positions on the issues.
Most candidates will have a campaign website where they will list their positions on the issues. In many cases, candidates will clearly state what positions they favor or oppose on the most common policy issues. However, it can sometimes be difficult to get a clear answer on these positions depending on the amount of detail they provide. Also, the issues they list may not be categorized the same way the Church categorizes social issues.
For incumbent officials running for re-election, their voting record on legislation can provide a clearer picture of where they stand on the issues. For incumbent Michigan legislators, the site MichiganVotes allows voters to search for their lawmakers and view their votes on bills that came before the state Legislature. For Michigan’s congressional members, the site voteview provides a similar service. The amount of information and what kind of information provided about the legislation can vary depending on the site and the bill.
Local news outlets will sometimes profile candidates running for office as part of their campaign coverage. News outlets will also sometimes request candidates fill out questionnaires with their positions on the issues, which the outlet will then publish. Newspaper editorial boards also issue endorsements of certain candidates, which may provide more information. However, these endorsements will also include commentary from the editorial board staff on the candidate, which should be differentiated from objective facts about and positions held by the candidate.
Where political candidates draw their financial support from can factor into understanding the interests they hold. For state-based candidates, the Michigan Secretary of State provides an online platform that is searchable by the candidate’s name. For Michigan candidates running for Congress, the Federal Election Commission provides similar search tools. In either case, reviewing the individuals and groups that contribute funding to a candidate can provide some context about where the candidate’s interests lie.
The U.S. bishops teach that Catholics should consider a candidate’s commitments, character, and integrity when discerning their choices for voting. One way to evaluate this is by checking a candidate’s social media profiles. Most candidates have active social media accounts on major platforms, and some may have both a personal account and a campaign account, as well as an account affiliated with their official office if he or she is already elected. Reviewing how a candidate conducts his or herself on social media could be helpful in assessing their character and integrity, in addition to any statements they may make regarding their positions on the issues.
The Michigan Voter Information Center is the state’s one-stop shop to access secure, personalized voting information. At the Michigan Voter Information Center, you can:
Take the Civilize It Pledge: To improve the political dialogue in America, the U.S. bishops have encouraged the faithful to engage in a “better kind of politics” by taking the Civilize It pledge to promote charity, clarity, and creativity in pursuit of the common good.
In the best moments of American politics, people with very diverse viewpoints have found a way to the common good. However, it has become abundantly clear that violent behavior—both physical and verbal—is now seen by many as an acceptable means for carrying out political or ideological disputes. In response to this disturbing trend, the U.S. bishops recently released a statement that urges the faithful to “pursue what leads to peace.” (Romans 14:19)
“We pray and urge all Christians and people of good will: abstain from political violence of any kind! Instead, ‘pursue what leads to peace and building up one another’ (Rom. 14:19) through dialogue, seeking justice.”
The most important place to share and reflect on Catholics’ call to be faithful citizens is in the family. Just as parents are the first educators of their children and are responsible for handing on the faith, civic responsibility starts with the adults in the family.
Using MCC’s election-related Focus publication and other resources provided by the bishop’s office or MCC, here’s how you can model faithful citizenship in the home:
Note: This resource was adapted from a similar document provided by the USCCB, which includes more on tips for applying faithful citizenship in the family.
MCC staff often visit parishes and Catholic organizations to give talks on faithful citizenship and how Catholics can exercise their civic duties. If you’re interested in having MCC staff come to your parish to give a talk this fall, please contact the MCC Public Policy office or email publicpolicy@micatholic.org.