Voting rights and privileges will take center stage in a talk from presenter Fr. Patrick Dorsey, S.J., on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 9 a.m. inside of the College of Health Professions, Room 124. The event is free and open to all those who wish to join!
During the talk, attendees will peruse the history of the rights and privileges of voters in the U.S. through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. This will be followed up with discernment questions to consider when voting in November. In the spirit of St. Ignatius, the time together is designed to be one of discernment and not for debate or discussion. All slides and links will be available to those who wish to receive them.
Throughout the history of the United States, voting rights laws have been amended to include people of color, people with language barriers, and people with gender differences. Poll taxes have been eliminated, and the age of eligible voters has been lowered, to name a few. The most recent amendment in 2009 improved access to voting for military personnel and voters living outside of the U.S.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has aligned the church with the same principles of the United States government by writing the seven themes of Catholic Social Teaching. In essence, the Bishop’s document summarizes a holistic perspective of what the U.S. government established as law.