Voting Matters 2024 Election Empowerment Guide
The National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA (NCC) joins with our member denominations to affirm that every voice and every vote matters. Voting is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union. Protecting the right to vote can protect the future for our families, communities, and country.
Churches can play a pivotal role in educating and encouraging each voter to make a plan to vote and make their voice heard. NCC’s Voting Matters 2024 Empowerment Guide was designed for member denominations to share the critical voting information and promote action on the congregational level each month until Election Day. The guide includes theological grounds for voting, scriptures, critical IRS information for churches, outreach activities and tips for navigating conversations about elections.
Access NCC’s Voting Matters 2024 Empowerment Guide and join NCC in the effort to equip people of faith across the country with the tools needed to cast their vote with confidence. We are stronger as a nation when more people participate in our democracy.
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Additional voting resources
VOting is a health matter!
By Bishop Teresa E. Snorton, Ecumenical Officer of the CME Church and NCC Health Task Force Member
We often do not make the connection between voting and our health. Surprisingly, a number of health decisions are made by elected officials and not by our doctors and other medical professionals. Voting in all elections—local, state, and national—is important because legislative bodies make decisions that impact our individual access to care and our overall health outcomes. Voting is a matter of “life and health!” Who is elected to office to make those decisions is important and what they believe about the sanctity of the life of everyone is crucial.
Here are some of the kinds of decisions that are made by elected officials that can impact you personally, as well as your family and your community:
- Local elected officials (town, city, county) often make zoning decisions that determine where hospitals and clinics will be located, how much funding will be provided for emergency medical services and other public health services.
- State elected officials also make important public health decisions, as well as decisions about the kind of aid that will be available for families and children. For example, while Medicaid is funded primarily with federal funds, state officials vote whether or not to accept those funds and determine how they get disbursed. “Medicaid is the single largest source of health coverage in the United States” (https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/eligibility/index.html). Yet, many people who technically qualify for it cannot receive it because of their state’s level of participation or a state’s refusal to expand Medicaid to cover others.
- Federal elected officials set rules for both Medicare and Medicaid, as well as prescription drug costs, Social Security benefits, and the Affordable Health Care Act benefits and funding. All of these programs were originally designed to provide the quality services for all Americans and to protect our citizens from poverty and health disparities. But protections of those programs lie in the hands of legislators who may or may not appreciate the values and needs of these services.
Voting IS a health matter! Who we elect at every level of government makes a difference. When you fail to vote or when you vote for individuals who do not appreciate the need to assure access to quality healthcare, YOUR health is at risk. The health disparities that exist in our nation today had their origins in decisions made by people in power – corporations and elected officials – who were insensitive to the needs of their communities and citizens.
So, vote, and vote for those who have your best interest in mind when it comes to your health! Voting IS A health matter! Voting is a matter of “life and health!”