"As Episcopalians we must also be mindful that our response to the promise we made at baptism to ‘strive for justice and peace and respect the dignity of every human being’ is lived out through our participation in our nation’s political process and civic life." --The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Voting is one of the most important rights and responsibilities granted to all Americans. As the Presiding Bishop points out, Episcopalians have a specific responsibility set forth in their baptismal covenant. Voting is an opportunity for Episcopalians to exercise both our right to vote and our baptismal promise by electing officials who will seek peace and justice for the common good.
There have been federal, state, and local primary elections going on all around the country and there are still more to come, not to mention the November 7 General Election. There is still time to REGISTER TO VOTE – click here to visit the National Voter Registration Page: http://www.eac.gov/register_vote.asp?format=none .
Young people have the lowest registration and voting percentages, so we hope you’ll encourage those you know to participate in our democracy. Many Americans made great sacrifices in order to expand voter enfranchisement – more people voted in the last American Idol contest than voted for the last president.
There are many different voter registrations, voter education, and “get out the vote” efforts underway such as the We Are America Democracy Summer, Project Vote Smart, and Rock the Vote. To learn about these programs and others like them, visit the EPPN Election Year Resource Page.
