The Rights and Privileges of Voting

Throughout the history of the United States, voting rights laws have been amended to include people of color, people with language barriers and people with gender differences. Poll taxes have been eliminated, and the age of eligible voters has been lowered, to name only a few. The most recent amendment in 2009, improved access to voting for military personnel and voters living outside of the United States.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has aligned the church with the same principles of the United States government by writing the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching. In essence, the Bishops’ document summarizes a holistic perspective of what the U.S. government established as law.

During our time together, we will peruse the history of the rights and privileges of voters in the United States through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. This will be followed with discernment questions to consider when voting in November. In the spirit of St. Ignatius, our time together is designed to be one of discernment and not a time for debate or discussion. All slides and links will be available to those who wish to receive them.