Federalist Society: Campaign Intervention via Church Voter Registration Drives
The Federalist ran an interesting story last week about campaign intervention by voter registration drives. Unfortunately, it came with a faulty premise. It encourages churches and other Christian organizations to get more involved in voter registration drives. As a strategy to defeat the “Democrats election machine.” The article provides a good example of how churches and charitable organizations should participate in the political process — as neutral “chasers” of voters. The only fault in the story is the silly assumption that increasing the number of “Christian” voters will not proportionately increase the number of all voters. It is probably a safe bet that Christians are widely, if not equally dispersed across the political spectrum. It’s just that them crazy Christians get all the media attention.
I have students who are involved in the Federalist Society. I disagree with a lot of what they espouse — and they with mine, we have a great time — but they are almost always very thoughtful and articulate. Sometimes they are even right. But they never claim exclusive ownership of the Christian mantle the way this fella does. Anyway, other than that silly premise, the article provides some good examples of what are otherwise legitimate and proper forms of campaign intervention by voter registration:
The expansion of early and mass mail-in voting has turned Election Day into election season. In several states, voters are forced to wait days — and in some cases, weeks — before learning the outcome of an election. This has led many Americans to lack confidence in the electoral process. Even more startling, however, has been the complete shift in how elections are won. Candidates and their policy platforms are no longer the main factors in predicting the outcome of any given race. Rather, it’s how many ballots from eligible electors can be “chased” and submitted at the behest of partisan actors ahead of Election Day.
In the case of Democrats, a big facet of their strategy involves the participation of left-wing nonprofit organizations, which aim to register so-called “underrepresented groups.” This includes demographics likely to vote for Democrats, such as racial minorities, college-educated women, and young people. Taking this approach allows these groups to skirt federal law, which prohibits 501(c)(3)s from engaging in “partisan” voter registration. Investigative reports published by the Capital Research Center and Restoration of America have unearthed how embracing nonprofit voter registration has netted Democrats potentially millions of votes across battleground states in recent elections. Given their candidates’ dominance in contests since 2020, the game plan appears to be working.
It’s the part about “chasing” voters that is worth thinking about. Because the article goes on to note two things: (1) voter registration drives are, indeed, set up by partisans to increase voter turnout in favor of their election. That’s no big revelation. And (2) politics and religion might not mix but they can’t be disentangled. Churches have two First Amendment rights — speech and religion — proving that point.
At this point, it is really only the in terrorem effect of 501(c)(3) that prevents charities from participating in political campaigns. Those who aren’t afraid just do it. If charities really want to participate, they may do so and there isn’t much that can be done about it. It might as well be a completely unenforceable requirement, especially for organized worshippers. The article proves the point by encouraging church voter registration for the explicit purpose of defeating Democrats. In the same manner that church voter registration has been used to defeat Republicans. Nobody has a corner on Christian votes and I would not expect a Federalist to miss that point. Anyway, here is more proof that political restrictions are futile:
Republicans have largely faltered on mimicking the electoral machine Democrats have spent years building. The GOP and its mega-donors’ failure to prioritize conservative-friendly nonprofit voter registration is costing Republicans elections across the country. But that hasn’t stopped several Christian nonprofits from stepping up where others haven’t. Under the radar of national media, these groups are working to ensure biblical values are felt at the ballot box this November.
Evangelical Voter Activation
A common goal espoused by the various Christian nonprofits The Federalist spoke with is to encourage Christians to vote biblically.
“Christians have an obligation to get involved” in the electoral process, former South Carolina GOP Chair Chad Connelly told The Federalist. Connelly is the founder and CEO of Faith Wins, a nonprofit launched in 2017 that assists faith leaders and evangelical Christians with “leverag[ing] their influence and impact within the governmental and political arena.” The group successfully registered 77,000 new Christian voters in Virginia ahead of the commonwealth’s 2021 elections and “just under two million” Christians during the 2020 cycle, according to Connelly.
Connelly is the founder and CEO of Faith Wins, a nonprofit launched in 2017 that assists faith leaders and evangelical Christians with “leverag[ing] their influence and impact within the governmental and political arena.” The group successfully registered 77,000 new Christian voters in Virginia ahead of the commonwealth’s 2021 elections and “just under two million” Christians during the 2020 cycle, according to Connelly.
“The issues that we’re facing aren’t just political issues. These aren’t just policy issues,” Yates said. “These are cultural, social, and moral issues that we’re facing. And so, it’s important for pastors to engage and bring some of these resources to their church.” Yates described how My Faith Votes plans to host its sixth annual National Voter Registration Sunday later this year. Held every third Sunday in September, the event is hosted at churches throughout the country and designed for church leaders to “encourage their congregations to engage civically and register to vote” and “bring the solutions of their faith to the ballot box.” Participating churches are provided with election “toolkits” that help pastors register their church members to vote.
darryll k. jones