NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)–In an effort to inform evangelical voters and contribute to the iVoteValues.com initiative, Baptist Press has launched an online election resource guide that includes information on registering to vote and on major issues facing the country.
The website — www.bpnews.net/vote — includes information about the major candidates’ and parties’ positions on such issues as abortion, same-sex “marriage” and stem cell research. It also includes information about state ballot initiatives and a summary of important court cases that have been decided this year.
Information about voter registration is included. The registration deadline in most states is in early October.
“Our nation stands at a crossroads that offers decidedly different possibilities for the future of our country because of the positions held by candidates on a host of policy issues: healthcare access, religious freedom, taxes, jobs, abortion, gambling and same-sex ‘marriage,'” a statement on the election recourse website notes.
The website is intended to contribute to the iVoteValues.com initiative, a voter-awareness and registration campaign to encourage voters to consider their values, not their pocketbook, when voting. Developed by the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, it is also being promoted by Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council.
“Dr. Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention … has underscored the importance of Christian participation in the upcoming elections,” the website’s statement reads. “Moreover he has cautioned Christians not to endorse political parties but to support candidates who endorse Christian beliefs.”
In 2000, more than 4 million evangelicals who were registered did not vote in the presidential election.
“Such political disengagement among Christians threatens to allow the destruction of the moral foundations of our country,” the statement reads. “The following resources are offered to encourage Christians to participate in the 2004 elections and to equip them to make decisions and develop opinions that are informed from a perspective of faith.”
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The website can be accessed at www.bpnews.net/vote.
