Across the country, state-level Catholic bishops' conferences are producing guidelines to help Catholic voters consider the moral implications of voting for or against referendums appearing on their Nov. 3 ballots.
Bishops' conferences at the state level are organizations jointly run by every diocesan bishop in that state, which are active in every state with more than one diocese. A conference will often comment on bills and referendums that implicate Catholic teaching and put out statements on matters specific to their state.
In some states with contentious referendums on the ballot, bishops' conferences have taken a clear position on initiatives, urging Catholics to either support or oppose the measures. Some of these measures are related to abortion, gender and sexuality, human trafficking, and gambling.
American bishops do not campaign for specific candidates in elections. Yet, advocating for and against referendums is classified in the tax code as "lobbying" instead of campaigning, which is permitted for dioceses and jointly run Catholic conferences. However, there are legal restrictions on the amount of lobbying in which they can engage.
Taking on abortion
Three conferences have taken strong stances on ballot initiatives related to abortion: Virginia, Nevada, and Missouri. Diocese of Boise Bishop Peter Christensen also took a strong stance on an abortion referendum in Idaho, though the state has only one diocese and no conference.
In Virginia and Nevada, the bishops' conferences are asking the faithful to vote no on proposed constitutional amendments to establish a legal right to abortion in their states. The conferences have produced printed material offered at parishes that discuss Church teaching on the sanctity of human life, and the bishops have released joint statements. Both states have two dioceses.
Amy McInerny, director of Respect Life at the Diocese of Arlington's Office of Marriage, Family, and Respect Life, told EWTN News the dioceses coordinated on the referendum for two years, "coming up with a battle plan" to oppose the measure.
Las Vegas Archbishop George Leo Thomas told EWTN News that in Nevada, the bishops meet during years with legislative sessions. The conference contracts much of the work to attorneys who are aligned with the Church's legislative priorities and follow the sessions.
Bishops in Missouri are urging voters to back a pro-life initiative to repeal a state constitutional right to abortion. This also includes producing printed material and offering joint statements by the bishops.
Jamie Morris, executive director of the Missouri Catholic Conference, told EWTN News "it has been a major focus of all four dioceses and of all four bishops." He said the conference works directly with the bishops, providing them with information about legislative issues so they can take informed stances on the subjects.
Gender and sexuality
Several conferences have also taken positions on issues that implicate Catholic teachings on gender and sexuality, which includes same-sex marriage, transgender people participating in sports, and parental rights.
In addition to the abortion referendum in Virginia, the bishops are fighting against a referendum to enshrine same-sex marriage into the state constitution. Much of the material urging Catholics to oppose the abortion referendum also urges them to oppose this referendum.
The Colorado Catholic Conference, which represents the state's three dioceses, has taken a stance on two referendums on this subject, encouraging the faithful to support two initiatives.
One referendum would ensure interscholastic and intramural athletics are separated on the basis of biological sex rather than purported gender identity. The other would ban surgeries on children meant to alter their sex characteristics to facilitate a gender transition.
Nebraskans will vote on a referendum to separate sports on the basis of biological sex rather than purported gender identity. The Nebraska Catholic Conference did not officially take a stance on this but did issue a statement that said the conference supported legislation that was nearly identical and urged the faithful to "please keep in mind Catholic social teaching on human sexuality" when voting on the measure.
The Washington State Catholic Conference has spoken positively of a proposed referendum to also separate athletics on the basis of biological sex as opposed to purported gender identity. In a statement to EWTN News, the conference called the initiative "consistent with Catholic teaching on the complementarity and divine design of women and men."
The conference spoke positively about a separate referendum to restore parental rights to access information related to their child's mental health, telling EWTN News it "ensures that parents are not kept in the dark about an issue that impacts their child's health." This may include information about a child's sexuality and gender identity.
Other issues on the ballot
The other issues bishops have taken positions on include human trafficking, gambling, and procedures for changing the state constitution.
The Colorado Catholic Conference has asked Catholics to support a referendum that would mandate life imprisonment for any person convicted of human trafficking of a minor.
The Nebraska Catholic Conference has encouraged Catholics to vote against two referendums that would legalize and regulate sports gambling in the state, warning it would "expand predatory online sports gambling in our state," which "can lead to family problems, debt, bankruptcy, homelessness, and mental health issues."
The South Dakota Catholic Conference has backed a referendum that would increase the threshold needed for adopting a constitutional amendment via referendum, from a majority vote to a 60% threshold. This is meant to prevent future referendums to establish legal rights to abortion from succeeding.
The North Dakota Catholic Conference backed a similar referendum to increase the threshold to adopt a constitutional amendment via referendum from a majority vote to 60%, citing the same concerns.
