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2020 Election Resources
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In keeping with its mission, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) aims to assist Catholics in active and responsible participation in political life. Each election cycle, the FCCB offers several resources to help the faithful with the obligation to make informed voting decisions. The bishops neither support nor oppose candidates and do not intend to tell Catholics for whom or against whom to vote. The responsibility to make political choices rests with each individual in light of a properly formed conscience.
Materials provided here are intended to be used alongside the U.S. bishops' teaching document on political responsibly, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States (English) | (Spanish).
The following resources are approved by the bishops of Florida for use in parish or diocesan publications and for posting online. For additional approved resources on political responsibility, see the websites of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops.
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October 2
The FCCB has invited all U.S. Congressional and Florida Legislative candidates to share their positions on ten public policy proposals that may come before lawmakers in the coming term. Candidates are offered the opportunity to state their positions as well as provide optional comments on each question. Candidate positions on issues are gathered for informational purposes only and are not used for endorsement of any candidate or political party.Read More -
October 2
To help inform voters before casting their ballots, the positions of the presidential candidates on a range of issues have been compiled from policies, public statements, official and campaign websites, and other resources. This document is but one tool to help Catholics prepare for the election and is not a substitute for individual research and study. The issues that appear do not represent a complete list of issues that may be of importance to Catholics.Read More -
October 1
We have a dual heritage as both faithful Catholics and American citizens. As Catholics, our baptismal commitment to bear public witness to the values of Jesus Christ requires our active participation in the democratic life of our nation. As Americans, we have a serious moral obligation to vote.Read More -
October 1
Two new episodes of the FCCB's podcast, Catholics Across the Aisle: Commentary on Public Policy and Civic Life, focus on our responsibilities at the intersection of faith and politics. In the first episode, Michael Sheedy, FCCB executive director, and Michele Taylor, associate director for communications, delve into the U.S. bishops' document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship. In a second election-related podcast, the Candidate Questionnaire Project is covered in detail.Read More -
September 30
Approved by the bishops of Florida, the Election & Political Activities Guide is intended to encourage Catholic clergy and laity to facilitate the involvement of their faith communities in appropriate election-related activities. These efforts are designed to increase parishioners' interest in the policy issues that will characterize election-year debates, focus their attention on candidate positions, and encourage them to exercise their right to vote. The document includes guidelines for parish involvement in political activities and identifies approved and prohibited activities for parishes and ministries.Read More -
February 7
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released five new videos to inspire prayer and action in political life and to help Catholics apply the Church's teaching as handed down by Pope Francis. The scripts for the videos were approved by the full body of bishops at their November General Assembly in Baltimore. The videos complement Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the bishops' teaching document for the faithful on the political responsibility of Catholics, and they seek to help the faithful participate in public life, prioritize faith over partisan politics, engage with civility, and respond to pressing issues of our day. Each video ends with a prayer.Read More
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2020 Election Dates
The following are key election dates provided by the Florida Division of Elections:
- Early Voting:
- October 19 - begins in some counties
- October 24 - available statewide
- Check with your county Supervisor of Elections for early voting dates, times and locations
- Vote-by-Mail:
- October 24 by 5:00 p.m. (local time) - deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot
- Vote-by-mail ballots must be returned and received no later than 7:00 p.m. (local time) on election day (Nov. 3) in order to be counted. To ensure that ballots are received by the deadline, voters are encouraged to vote and return their voted ballots as soon as received or early enough to account for mail delivery times. The United States Postal Service recommends that domestic nonmilitary voters, mail back their voted ballots at least 1 week before the Election Day deadline to account for any unforeseen events or weather issues.
- Vote-by-mail ballots may also be returned at secure drop boxes at Supervisor of Elections’ main and branch offices and early voting sites. Please contact the county Supervisor of Elections or visit their website for the location of all vote-by-mail ballot secure drop boxes in your county.
- General Election Day - November 3
- Early Voting:
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Additional Resources
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