Help Build God's Kingdom — Vote!

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In the next few weeks, the state will offer Catholics in Utah one of the most important opportunities and moral obligations we face in any given year – voting.

Yes, you read that right, moral obligation. Catholic teaching is clear that choosing whom or what to vote for, or not, is a serious moral choice. While many special interest groups and political parties will try to persuade each of us to vote one way or another, we Catholics can’t just look at our favorite Twitter feeds or Facebook friends to tell us which ovals to fill in on the ballot. We have to deliberately form our conscience for each vote.

There are many good reasons to take the time to do so, not least of which is our Gospel call. As explained in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, we participate in the political process because “It belongs to the laity to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will.” Yes, each little oval represents our attempt to bring about a more just and peaceful world, as envisioned by our Creator.

With the understanding of just what we are doing when we vote (i.e., building God’s kingdom), our decision becomes far more important than the political parties and their shared politics of division. Every vote Catholics take requires us to look beyond party rhetoric to the impacts our votes will have on human lives globally and within our parishes, neighborhoods and communities.

This year is no exception. In fact, it offers a rare opportunity to positively impact the dignity and sanctity of life through an act of direct democracy. While the Diocese of Salt Lake City is taking a position on only one of the three statewide ballot initiatives, that there are three opportunities for the public to enact state law is additional incentive for Catholic voters to delve deep into each initiative to make the most informed vote possible (in case building God’s kingdom isn’t motivation enough).

The three initiatives are Proposition 2 Medical Cannabis Act, which would legalize medical marijuana in the state; Proposition 3 Utah Decides Healthcare Act, which would expand Medicaid to cover the more than 100,000 individual working citizens who are unable to access health insurance currently; and Proposition 4 Independent Redistricting Commission, which would create an independent commission to draw political district boundaries.

Each of the initiatives raises moral questions for Catholics to consider. Only Proposition 3, however, will have an immediate life-saving impact for tens of thousands of Utahns.  Consider as one example a woman working for a small local business who has a treatable condition such as diabetes that has worsened over time as she struggled to cover the costs of health care on her own. Expanding Medicaid, through the imposition of a small increase in the non-food sales tax, means that woman will be spared the more life-threatening effects of the illness, along with more expensive treatments required when diabetes is left untreated for too long. Multiply this one individual by the 100,000 to 150,000 persons expected to qualify for coverage under the initiative, and Utah voters are well on our way to building a culture of life in our state. All for  an extra penny added to the sales tax on each $10 spent.

While the diocese has no official position on Propositions 2 and 4, we encourage voters to learn more about each of these important proposals and make their decisions based on a thoughtful, informed conscience formation process.  It is the least we can do as we decide how to build God’s kingdom in our little corner of the world.

Jean Hill is the government liaison for the Diocese of Salt Lake City.