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Advocacy Blog
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
The Dangers of Voter Guides in Houses of Worship
Americans United for Separation of Church and State released a press release once again advising houses of worship about jeopardizing their tax-exempt status. The notice warns of "religious right" voter guides that may not be nonpartisan. Americans United has reportedly reviewed voter guides and found many to be biased. The group advices houses of worship to take notice if the voter guide was put together by an outside group, as many are 501(c)(4) organizations who may endorse a candidate, but churches may not. The press release cites numerous examples of their findings:
A guide published by the Association of Maryland Families lists candidates’ responses to 20 questions, but some of the questions dealing with the most controversial social issues are worded in a manner that steers evangelical voters toward Republican candidates.
In addition, the Association of Maryland Families, which is affiliated with James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, adds a line to its guide reading, “This Educational Voter Guide meets the 501c3 requirements and is permissible for distribution in churches….” This implies that the guide has received some type of official stamp of approval from the IRS, which is simply not true.
And related is this article from Arizona that discusses one such voter who will base his decision on the voter guide he found in his church. "Seeking advice on how to vote in the Nov. 7 general election, Huey Hemphill found what he needed at the Tucson Baptist Temple in Midtown." This article also provides an in depth description of the issue.
Posted by Amanda Adams
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