CatholicVote.org is a lay-led movement of committed Catholics who are passionate about living out the truths proclaimed by Christ and His Church in the modern world. We are joined in this mission by many individuals of other faith traditions (and no faith tradition) because the common good we seek is universal to all men and women of goodwill.

As patriotic Americans, we believe that life, faith, and freedom are precious rights, and that the family is the foundational unit of society.

Yeah, I do too. But why should I get involved?

Catholics and all good citizens are obliged to participate in public life, to respect authority, and to obey just laws. In the United States, we are privileged to participate in our own government during elections, through contact with our elected representatives, by serving in political office, or through lobbying, legal action, community activism and peaceful protests. Citizens under a government of the people, by the people, and for the people have a duty to enact just laws and to protect our most sacred rights and institutions.

Okay. Makes sense. But why does public policy really matter?

Law teaches and shapes our culture.  Many people, for example, believe abortion to be legitimate merely because it is legal.  Since laws reflect our nation’s priorities, CV advocates for laws and policies aimed at protecting the dignity of all persons, especially policies that put families first.  Life is paramount, and families deserve to be rewarded, while excessive government interventions must be held in check.

What kind of policies does CV support? Be quick about it!

Religious Liberty: CV supports the First Amendment Defense Act, a federal law that will protect religious Americans from anti-religious bigotry and discrimination.

Marriage: CV believes that the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges is unconstitutional and a usurpation of the power of the Courts to dictate social policy on the nation. This decision should be overturned and the issue returned to the state democratic process. Meanwhile, we support laws to protect individuals, businesses, and institutions who believe marriage is, and always will be, a union of one man and one woman.

Life: CV supports the federal Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and state laws that restrict abortion. We oppose all state and federal euthanasia and assisted suicide laws that victimize the sick, elderly, and disabled. We oppose the use of the death penalty, believing with St. John Paul II that it is no longer necessary to protect the common good.

Immigration: Catholics are called to welcome the stranger, particularly those fleeing persecution or unjust political regimes. Yet we have also a right to demand that those who immigrate respect our laws. Therefore, CV supports legal immigration. Our current immigration system is broken, rewarding illegal activity while punishing those who wish to abide by our laws. Catholics can disagree in good conscience on the appropriate level of immigration to allow. CV believes that immigration reform should include: family-based immigration reform, genuine enforcement measures, earned legalization, a future worker program, restoration of due process rights, and an examination of root causes.

Tax Policy: CV promotes a Family First Tax Policy. We must remove all disincentives to marriage in the tax code, and provide financial relief through an expanded child tax credit for families who invest in the future by raising children.  Parents of children make the most valuable investments in the future of America.  They should be rewarded and affirmed by our culture and our laws.

Healthcare: CV believes that Obamacare must be replaced with a private, competitive health care market regulated by the states that will increase quality, decrease costs, and reward innovative companies. Those outside the employer system can participate in this market by purchasing insurance with a state tax credit subsidy.  CV also believes that Catholic health care professionals, including hospitals, have an obligation to provide options for the needy and uninsured through an increase in charitable services.  Too often, even Catholic doctors, colluding with big government, treat patients as customers rather than as persons made in the image of God and worthy of care.

Education: CV believes good education policy begins with the family.  Families of children should be empowered to choose the school their child attends, and allow their tax dollars to follow them.  CV opposes Common Core Educational Reforms, which represent a dangerous case of federal overreach. Expanding school choice will create competition between schools, rewarding innovative ideas and providing opportunities for disadvantaged families to break an ever-expanding cycle of poverty.

Environment: CV endorses a consistent ethic of respect for creation, which entails a balanced person-centered ecology. We believe a healthy culture of life requires stewardship of all of creation, beginning with human life itself.  Stewardship also includes the proper care for animals, plants, and our natural resources as gifts of the Creator.  The “green revolution” has created many positive changes in law and culture, but risks becoming a ‘god’ unto itself, thereby forfeiting its legitimate purpose in the pursuit of massive environmental regulation.  Nevertheless, many environmental regulations are needed.  The law must balance the goals of responsible stewardship while avoiding policies that will hurt the poor and defenseless by imposing crippling economic penalties, or by unjustly threatening the right to private property.