Voting is a Moral Act

by Fr. Roger J. Landry - September 15, 2006

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, in their Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, wrote that "all citizens are to bear in mind that it is both their right and duty to use their free vote to promote the common good" (75). Each of us has a responsibility for the common good. It is neither something that others can justly deny us nor something we can morally forsake. The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists exercising the right to vote as one of the three basic moral obligations — the other two are paying taxes and defending one's country — that flow from our joint responsibility for the common good (2240).

Voting is, quite simply, a moral act. Not to vote is to neglect one's responsibility for others and for society. These truths are valid for everyone, as sound moral philosophers of all religions and no religion have taught for generations. But they are particularly relevant for Christians, who have been given by Christ the mission to be leaven for nations, salt of the earth and light of the world. One of the principal means by which Christians can peacefully raise up their cultures, prevent corruption, and illuminate their fellow men and women about right and wrong is through their participation in the electoral process.

Many Christians know this, and take their responsibility at the ballot box very seriously. They recognize that in a democratic society, we essentially get the leaders we deserve, and each person eligible to vote bears some responsibility for the leaders we have and the decisions they make.

But the majority of citizens — Christian and otherwise — shirk this important duty, either partially or fully. One-third of citizens in our country do not bother even to register to vote. Of those who are registered, four out of ten almost never show up at the ballot box, even in a tightly-contested general election for president. In many of the localities in southeastern Massachusetts, nine out of ten enrolled voters blow off the primaries.

This apathy is nothing short of a moral and civic cancer. The less people hold themselves accountable to their personal responsibilities toward the common good, the less they hold their elected representatives responsible for the common good, and the easier it is for elected representatives to take advantage of them against the common good. It should not be surprising that several politicians have.

The person who either consciously or carelessly chooses not to vote — particularly in the ubiquitous situation where the common good is violated and injustices need to be rectified — is morally no better than Pontius Pilate, who washed his hands of Jesus, or the levite who passed the suffering man on the opposite side of the road. A sin of omission is still a sin.

But showing up — as important as it is — is not enough. Although increased voter turnout is a good, but a limited one. The fulfillment of our moral responsibilities with regard to elections is not a question merely of voting, but of voting well.

How we vote is sign of what we value most. When we pull the curtain of the ballot box behind us, it is similar to closing in back of us the curtain of the confessional, in which we stand hidden before God and confess who we are and what we prioritize. Some people make their political party an idol and vote the party-line no matter what particular candidates hold. Others vote for or against a candidate solely on the basis of superficial criteria, like the person's last name or looks or hometown. Others worship a modern golden calf and choose the candidate they deem will pad their pockets the most. Others look to the most serious crises of our day and try to determine, on the basis of the character and positions of the candidates, which of them would best govern or legislate in accordance with fundamental moral truths.

Sometimes our choice is between apples and oranges, two good candidates who vary simply on prudential implementation of sound principles. At other times the choice is between Christ and Barabbas. But the reality remains that whom we decide to support and why are moral decisions that express and form our character, and for which we will be voted upon by God.

For that reason, we should wisely vote only after much prayer, which should mark all of our important decisions.

This Tuesday, September 19, is an occasion for all of us to show who we are and either fulfill or forsake our responsibilities toward our neighbors, especially the most vulnerable. It is an occasion for us to choose well. May the Lord help us to do Him proud.

Father Roger J. Landry is pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in New Bedford, MA and Executive Editor of The Anchor, the weekly newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River.