Why should a Catholic parish offer a voter registration drive?
The obvious reason is to register those who are not yet registered to vote. But a voter registration drive also reminds parishioners that they have a moral obligation as Catholics to “exercise the right to vote” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2240). Since every year is an election year in Virginia, every year is a good year to hold a drive.
Obviously, the first step for volunteers who are considering organizing a voter drive is to obtain the pastor’s permission. Logistics — such as determining the best place, time, and date for the event — may require making accommodations with respect to other parish events. The deadline for submitting a new voter registration for most elections is 11 days before the election.
It can be challenging to find enough volunteers to cover every Mass or every exit in a parish church, particularly since a volunteer must complete online training at elections.virginia.gov before registering voters. But volunteers typically find the training to be easy to complete, and this can be done through a virtual course, either with or without an instructor. Established parish groups, such as the Knights of Columbus, Women’s Council, or Respect Life group, are usually the best sources of volunteers.
Like other churches and organizations, Catholic churches can provide additional information to help voters make their voting decisions. The Virginia Catholic Conference provides election resources every year, including a letter from Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, information about Catholic principles that affect voting decisions, and candidate comparison charts. This information can currently be found at: vacatholic.org/Election2025. However, by state law, this material must be distributed separately from the voter registration table, either through a separate table or event.
Generally, most parishioners are already registered to vote. But in a transient region like Virginia, there are always new residents. Also, absentee ballot forms come in handy for college students, people with mobility or transportation issues, and those with long commutes who may not be able to vote at their local polling location.
Mychele Brickner of St. Raymond of Peñafort Church in Springfield offers envelopes addressed to the county office to make it easier for people to mail in their forms. Parishioners also appreciate receiving information about voting deadlines and early in-person voting locations. As Mary Lou Christy from St. Joseph Church in Herndon put it, having the drive “started a dialogue” with other parishioners. Mike Poumade has volunteered at the voter registration drive at Holy Spirit Church in Annandale for many years for the simple reason that it reminds parishioners that we have a civic duty to vote.
Some parishes, such as Holy Spirit and St. Raymond, have held voter registration drives every fall for more than a decade. Other parishes, such as St. Joseph in Herndon, only started last year. But any parish with past experience — such as the parishes of Our Lady of Good Counsel, St. Andrew the Apostle, St. Bernadette, St. Catherine of Siena, St. James, St. John the Beloved, St. Leo the Great, St. Louis, St. Luke, St. Rita, and St. Veronica — should be able to help new parishes get started.
Is it easy to get discouraged when your favorite candidate loses? Of course. But as Amy McInerny, director of the diocesan Office of Respect Life, likes to remind people, Mother Teresa of Kolkata said we are not called to be successful, but to be faithful. In God’s eyes, being a faithful Catholic voter is just as important as being a faithful Catholic in the workplace, at home, and everywhere else. And it matters.
Beutner is a member of the Arlington Diocesan Pastoral Council and a parishioner of Holy Spirit Church in Annandale.
