Today, as the Senate debates voting rights following Martin Luther King’s birthday, Catholic Climate Covenant urges President Biden and all Members of Congress to support strong voting rights legislation.
As an organization lifting up care for creation and climate action from the foundation of the Catholic faith, we recognize that a functioning democracy is critical to creating the solutions we seek for the common good and our common home.
The fundamental right to vote is under unprecedented attack. Last year, more than 30 bills restricting voting were passed in 19 states that have made voting more challenging. Overall, 440 bills intended to restrict voting access were introduced in all but one state in 2020. The legislation before Congress would, among other things, establish national standards for voter registration, early voting, voting by mail and permissible voter IDs, and restore federal legal oversight over certain election law changes in some states.
We support strong voting rights legislation from the perspective of our faith and for the sake of our democracy. Preserving the right to vote is one of the most fundamental and vital ways to bring our faith to the public square.
“As Catholics, we bring the richness of our faith to the public square. We draw from both faith and reason as we seek to affirm the dignity of the human person and the common good of all,” states Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States.
Many of these voting restrictions impact communities of color disproportionately, running counter to our faith’s call to affirm the dignity of every human person. As followers of Jesus Christ and inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we stand in solidarity with the people of faith on hunger strikes, putting their bodies on the line to protect our cherished democracy for all.
- Jose Aguto, Catholic Climate Covenant Executive Director
- Dan Misleh, Catholic Climate Covenant Founder