Election information
Michigan bishops launch Web siteoffering ‘one-stop shop’ on candidates, proposals
Joe Kohn of The Michigan Catholic
Published August 25, 2006
Detroit – Catholics curious about where their local candidates in November’s general election stand on the issues can now click their way to the answers on a computer.
The Michigan Catholic Conference — the public policy arm of the Church in Michigan, the board of which includes the bishops of each diocese in the state – has launched its 2006 election information Web page. The page is on the conference’s home page, www.micatholicconference.org.
“Whether the voter is interested in learning about local and statewide candidates, or is seeking information related to a proposal that will appear on the November ballot, the 2006 Election Information page can be a very helpful tool,” said Dave Maluchnik, communications director for the Michigan Catholic Conference, in a release last week.
As always, the Church refrains from identifying which candidates Catholics should vote for. Instead, the site identifies key issues voters should take into prayer and consideration as they head to the polls.
In addition, the site — a “one-stop shop” for election information, as Maluchnik puts it — also serves as a way for visitors to preview their ballots. A visitor can type in her address and receive a list of the races she can vote in, along with information about the candidates and links to their respective Web pages. Also, a visitor can access surveys given to each candidate to see where the candidate stands on a particular issue.
 FYI
| The election site is intertwined with the Michigan Catholic Conference’s Catholic Legislative Advocacy Network, an information site that makes it easy for Catholics to learn about bills coming before the state legislator, write to politicians who represent their jurisdictions and contact media outlets.
While the Church doesn’t choose candidates, it sometimes takes a side on a ballot proposal.
This year, Cardinal Adam Maida and the state’s other bishops have come out strongly against Proposal 2, which aims to disallow entities with public funding from using affirmative action in hiring and admissions.
As affirmative action allows employers and educational institutions to take race and gender into account in hiring and admissions, the bishops have identified the practice as an effective means to combat racism and sexism and give better opportunities to women and minorities.
“After a thorough analysis of the proposal, the Michigan Catholic Conference board of directors has determined that Proposal 2 is unjust and bad public policy for the state of Michigan and threatens to roll back years of progress in the civil rights arena,” Maluchnik said.
The Church in Michigan has joined a broad-based coalition to defeat the proposal. Cardinal Maida sits on the board of the coalition, called One United Michigan, which includes both gubernatorial candidates, nonprofits, civic organizations, large employers, labor unions and other key Democrat and Republican politicians.
As the Nov. 7 elections near, Maluchnik added, the conference will make candidate surveys available by diocese and further highlight for voters the value of affirmative action programs and what they’ve done to further civil rights in Michigan.
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