What types of political activities can houses of worship engage in?
A. There are many. For example, houses of worship may sponsor voter registration drives. They may encourage voting and even help people get to the polls on election day. They may not tell people who to vote for. Houses of worship can also sponsor non-partisan candidate forums. Religious groups may sponsor forums at which all legally qualified candidates for a given office are invited to appear. The questioning should be non-partisan in nature and broad, covering a range of issues, not just moral or social issues of concern to the church. Churches may send questionnaires to candidates and ask them where they stand on issues. However, before distributing the answers, churches should make sure the answers are accurate and that the questionnaire covers a wide range of issues. Questionnaires should be sent to all candidates, and the church should not compare the candidates’ answers to the church’s preferred position on issues.
