Pastors Provide Rides To Polls

[OhioChick]

Source: Newsnet5

POSTED: 10:14 am EST March 4, 2008
UPDATED: 11:55 am EST March 4, 2008

CLEVELAND -- You can get a free ride to your polling place today by calling a local organization of pastors.

The United Pastors In Mission can be reached at 216-324-6352.

You can get a ride to and from your polling location from until the polls close at 7:30 p.m.

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/politics/15485102/detail.html

---

Pastors? Am I reading this right? I've never heard of anything like this....

[ixion]

1. more blatant violations of Church and State

it simply must stop.

[sergeiAK]

2. How is this a violation? -nt

[Adsos Letter]

3. It isn't. n/t

[sergeiAK]

5. That's what I thought -nt

[ixion]

12. that's your opinion

when a church involves itself in the political, it is a breach of Chruch and State. I don't think that could be more obvious.

[sergeiAK]

16. Then surely you could cite case law backing up your opinion? -nt

[joeglow3]

17. Isn't it obvious??

If you are a pastor, you forfeit any right to be politically involved outside of your church.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

20. Absolute Flaming Bullshit

Pastors do not surrender their civil rights. They have every right to be involved in non-partisan political activities, and giving rides to the polls encourages political participation without taking sides in the outcome. They are perfectly welcome to pursue this activity.

[joeglow3]

23. I was attempting to be sarcastic nt.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

24. YOU WERE NOT!!!!

Kidding. Kidding.

The problem is that there are plenty of people around here who would buy your statement uncritically.

[TommyO]

28. No you don't

You can't push for a particular candidate, but you can express a personal opinion, and you can certainly champion causes - my church pushes for marriage equality, a very progressive position.

[democrattotheend]

30. Not if it's non-partisan

If they are offering rides to everyone than it's not a violation. Do they favor a particular candidate, or is this a general turnout effort?

In my view, there is nothing wrong with churches engaging in efforts to increase voter turnout, as long as it's not designed to benefit a particular candidate.

[Adsos Letter]

33. pastors giving rides to people so they can vote...

is different from telling them HOW they should vote. I think you misunderstand the Constitutional principle on this one.

[Mike Daniels]

8. Hardly

I know of various non-profits that bus people to the polls.

Why shouldn't a church be allowed to do the same thing?

[LiberalFighter]

11. Which non-profits?

I have never heard of any non-profits doing that. It might be a violation of IRS code for them to do that.

[rch35]

14. At the University I go too, there was a local community group providing free

shuttles to the polling places all day on Feb 5th.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

21. 501(c)(3)

The part of the US Code that defines and regulates charitable organizations, states that political activity is "participat in, or interven in (including the publishing or distributing of statements), any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office."

Churches are perfectly within their rights to encourage participation in the democratic process.

[TommyO]

29. They can bus people to the polls

they can encourage people to vote, they cannot encourage people to vote for a particular candidate.

[CreekDog]

15. what is the rule that is being violated? please quote it and explain how this violates it.

actually, I'm just trying to get you to read the first amendment which hopefully would make you realize that there is no law or constitional provision being violated.

[ixion]

18. not a 'legal' violation, per se, but certainly against the spirit of the concept

the idea is that churches are not to involve themselves with politics. Period. This is a flagrant violation of that concept.

[CreekDog]

19. the constitution separates *government* actions not church actions

churches can get involved in politics

government cannot get involved in favoring churches or religions. that's very clear.

since you aren't quoting or citing any source, it's not clear that you understand what you are talking about (yeah that's harsh, i'm not trying to be mean, but just to point this out).

[ixion]

26. you're being intellectually dishonest

to say that one can be involved with the other but not vice versa is an illogical statement. If one is involved with the other, than both are involved. Churches who tout political ideologies are not churches, but effectively become lobbying organizations.

But, hey, thanks for the flippant response.

[CreekDog]

27. the 1st amendment is a bill of rights restricts the government, not the populace

you are incorrect that i'm being intellectually dishonest.

[FloridaJudy]

4. As long as they're not

Screening people for their religious/political views and advising them about how to vote when they get there, I see no problem with this. If they are, then this is a huge problem. Otherwise it's just another public service.

[jwirr]

6. You have heard of something like this: MLK, Jesse Jackson, etc/

[jackster]

7. so what.....

they're giving them RIDES TO THE POLLS. Whether or not you agree with their politics, everyone has a right to vote. Besides, just because you see the word PASTOR, it doesn't mean that they're Republicans.

[Justitia]

9. Rides to the polls are usually offered by many different groups, its not unusual. -eom

[plantwomyn]

10. And they admit they are violating the law.

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/02/black_pastors_vote_after_liste/print.html

Black pastors vote after listening to Jesse Jackson
Posted by kturner February 26, 2008 20:26PM
About 25 prominent Cleveland-area black pastors cast their primary ballots Tuesday as a sign to encourage their congregations to get out and vote.

Nearly all the clergy who gathered around noon at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections were supporters of Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

But their main purpose was to uphold the importance of voting, said the Rev. C. Jay Matthews, pastor of Mt. Sinai Baptist Church in Cleveland and president of United Pastors in Mission.

Now they can go back to their churches and say, "If we did it, we're expecting you to do it," said the Rev. Rodney Maiden of Providence Baptist Church in Cleveland.

The clergy cast their votes after a United Pastors' meeting at Antioch Baptist Church, where the Rev. Jesse Jackson, a black presidential candidate in the 1980s, spoke on behalf of Obama.

Jackson, scheduled to be an analyst for NBC at the debate Tuesday, said Obama represents "the maturing of the success of our struggle. .¤.¤. I see a new heaven. I see a new America, where we learn to live together."

Where is the DOJ and IRS when you need them?

[Xithras]

13. As long as they aren't telling them how to vote. This isn't new.

This was common even a few decades ago when I was a little kid. My grandpa used to volunteer to drive the church van around to pick up the elderly and disabled, and he'd take them to the polling places. It's perfectly legal so long as the church isn't directing them on how to vote.

Nothing new here, and nothing to see.

[JPZenger]

22. Here are some of the rules

The United Methodist Church distributed a set of rules to provide guidance to churches. I am repeating some from memory:

1. A pastor may endorse a candidate, provided it is clear they are doing it as an individual and not as an official of the church.

2. A church may invite candidates to speak, provided that opposing candidates are also offered the same opportunity.

3. A church may take a position on an individual issue, but cannot endorse a particular candidate.

Rides to the polls are simply a public service, in the same way that many pastors provide rides to medical appointments for people they know need the help.

Besides, the United Methodist Church has carefully avoided taking positions on most political issues. I've never heard political issues or candidates discussed in my church.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

25. And some churches are even iffy about #3...

I recall some years ago that our church flirted with the idea of putting a yard sign out supporting the school levy (our next-door neighbor was an elementary school and we provided an after-school program for them). But the leadership decided that endorsing the outcome of even a non-partisan issue like that was over the line.

Churches can be anti-war, but they can't endorse or support an anti-war candidate OR campaign.

[Kolesar]

32. One of those urban churches in Cleveland offered us parking to protest Cheney

:)

[scatman]

31. Nothing New

No different then small town politicians handing out booze years ago. Might be good on a cold day