Election Materials and Guidelines

In keeping with its mission, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) aims to educate and inform Catholics and provide resources to assist the faithful with their responsibility to participate in political life. 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. 

Each election cycle, the FCCB conducts the Candidate Questionnaire Project (CQP) to assist Catholics and the broader community with the obligation to become informed voters. All U.S. Congressional and Florida Legislative candidates appearing on the ballot in the Primary and/or General Elections are invited to participate. Candidates are asked to identify whether they support or oppose a range of issues that are important to our faith community.

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.

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.