Joshua Bennett
CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. It is a community of patriotic Americans who believe that the Catholic faith's timeless truths are beneficial to the country. The organization is divided into three parts: CatholicVote.org, CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC), and CatholicVote.org Education Fund. While CatholicVote acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium, it is independent of the Catholic Church. The organization has been accused of pushing right-wing politics and attempting to attract Catholic voters to the Republican Party. It has also been criticized for disseminating misleading information and inflaming base passions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of organization | Conservative, non-profit political advocacy group |
| Based in | Carmel, Indiana, United States |
| Religious affiliation | Catholic |
| Political affiliation | Republican |
| Funding | Member-funded |
| Structure | Three organizations: CatholicVote.org, CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (PAC), and CatholicVote.org Education Fund |
| Activities | Organizing petitions, media campaigns, and surveys |
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What You'll Learn
CatholicVote.org's political alignment
CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. It is a community of patriotic Americans who believe that the timeless truths of the Catholic faith are good for America. While it acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium, it is independent of the Catholic Church and is not funded or administered by Catholic Bishops.
The organization is divided into three parts: CatholicVote.org, CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC), and CatholicVote.org Education Fund. The Political Action Committee can endorse or financially support political candidates who will be "faithful stewards of Catholic social teaching and the common good". In 2010, it donated to six Republicans and one Democrat.
Some sources claim that CatholicVote.org is a SuperPAC that donates only to Republican candidates and seeks to push the Republican Party on Catholics. It has been accused of posting articles that challenge the Church's teaching on the death penalty and the bishops' stance on immigration policies. It has also been criticized for urging parents to check out any LGBT-themed books from their local libraries so that children would not be able to see them.
CatholicVote.org describes itself as a lobbying organization for "faith, family, and freedom". It is a grassroots organization that aims to pursue the common good and is better able to do so because it is not "owned" by any party or movement.
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CatholicVote's stance on social issues
CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. While it acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium, it is independent of the Catholic Church. The organization is divided into three parts: CatholicVote.org, CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC), and CatholicVote.org Education Fund.
CatholicVote.org has been involved in various social and political issues. In 2010, it organized a petition urging the United States Postal Service to issue a Mother Teresa commemorative stamp despite opposition. In 2022, the group urged parents to check out any LGBT-themed books from their local libraries so that children would not be able to access them. They have also expressed concerns about the Equality Act, arguing that it would threaten the religious freedom of Catholics, allow men into women's spaces, and jeopardize prohibitions on federal funding for abortion.
In terms of political alignment, CatholicVote.org has been described as having a Republican or conservative bias. In 2010, its political action committee financially supported six Republicans and one Democrat. Some commentators have cautioned that CatholicVote.org exists primarily to draw Catholic voters towards the Republican Party or the GOP. The organization has been criticized for prioritizing politics over Catholicism and for promoting political parties before simple Catholic doctrine.
It is worth noting that Catholic voters in the United States have diverse political opinions and do not always vote as a unified bloc. While there may be shared concerns for social justice and the value of family, Catholic voters have supported both Republican and Democratic candidates in recent presidential elections. White Catholics have been more likely to support Republican candidates, while Hispanic Catholics have favored Democratic candidates.
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CatholicVote's history
CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. It is divided into three organizations: CatholicVote.org, a project of Fidelis, a Catholic organization; CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC), which financially supports political candidates who align with Catholic social teaching; and CatholicVote.org Education Fund, a tax-deductible program comprising two units: the CatholicVote.org Education Fund and the CatholicVote.org Legal Action Fund.
The domain name CatholicVote.org was first used by the Catholic Alliance in 2000. The Catholic Alliance was a grassroots group of Americans who agreed with the fundamentalist evangelical Protestant Christian Coalition's platform but wanted to include Catholics. The group formed in 1995 and held the website until mid-2002. The next owner of the domain name was Larry Cirignano, the founder of Catholic Vote, later called Catholic Citizenship. He used the domain for six years until mid-2008. The Fidelis Center began operating the domain in October 2008, initially redirecting it to CatholicVote.com. The first published articles linked on the site were by co-founders Brian Burch and Joshua Mercer.
In 2010, CatholicVote.org organized a petition urging the United States Postal Service to issue a Mother Teresa commemorative stamp despite opposition by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and similar groups. In the same year, CatholicVote PAC made campaign contributions to six Republicans and one Democrat.
In June 2022, CatholicVote.org urged parents to check out any LGBT-themed books from their local libraries so that children would not be able to access them. The group has also released commercials as part of its national media campaign "Life: Imagine the Potential". The first, "Imagine Spot 1", centred around the story of President Barack Obama and recorded over 700,000 hits in ten days.
CatholicVote.org describes itself as a community of patriotic Americans who believe that the truths of the Catholic faith are good for America. It is independent of the Catholic Church but acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium. It has been accused of pushing right-wing politics and trying to draw Catholics into the GOP voter base.
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CatholicVote's structure
CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. While it acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium, it maintains its independence from the Catholic Church. The organization is made up of patriotic Americans who believe that the Catholic faith's timeless truths are beneficial for the nation. It is worth noting that CatholicVote.org is distinct from the broader concept of “Catholic vote,”" which refers to the voting behaviour of Catholics as a demographic group.
The structure of CatholicVote.org consists of three main organizations:
- CatholicVote.org: This is the primary organization, functioning as a grassroots lobbying entity under the 501(c)4 tax-exempt status. It lobbies Congress and advocates for legislation that aligns with its values.
- CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC): This is the connected political action committee of CatholicVote.org. Its primary goal is to provide financial support to political candidates who align with Catholic social teachings and the common good. In 2010, CatholicVote PAC contributed to the campaigns of six Republicans and one Democrat.
- CatholicVote.org Education Fund: This is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible program consisting of two units—the CatholicVote.org Education Fund and the CatholicVote.org Legal Action Fund.
The management of CatholicVote.org is handled by a core full-time staff that collaborates with various groups, including allies, media and web agencies, and volunteers. The organization is not funded or administered by the Catholic Bishops but instead relies entirely on funding from its members.
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CatholicVote's funding
CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. It is independent of the Catholic Church but acknowledges the authority of the Magisterium. The organization is divided into three parts: CatholicVote.org, CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC), and CatholicVote.org Education Fund.
The CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC) is a Super PAC that financially supports political candidates who "will be faithful stewards of Catholic social teaching and the common good". In 2010, CatholicVote PAC made campaign contributions to six Republicans and one Democrat. The committee has been registered with the FEC since March 2011 and has been active in several election cycles including 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024. The CatholicVote.org Candidate Fund discloses its spending in support of or opposition to a candidate, but none of the funds are directly given to or spent by the candidate.
The CatholicVote.org Education Fund is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible program with two units: the CatholicVote.org Education Fund and the CatholicVote.org Legal Action Fund.
The funding and donors behind CatholicVote.org are not publicly disclosed, making it difficult to ascertain the organization's financial backers. However, given its history of supporting Republican candidates and its stance on issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion, it is likely that the organization receives funding from conservative individuals, groups, or organizations that align with its political and ideological positions.
It is important to note that CatholicVote.org is not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the Catholic Church. While it claims to promote Catholic social teaching, its political activities and advocacy may not reflect the views of all Catholics or the official position of the Catholic Church on complex moral and social issues.
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Frequently asked questions
CatholicVote.org is a conservative, non-profit political advocacy group based in the United States. It is divided into three organizations: CatholicVote.org, CatholicVote.org Political Action Committee (CatholicVote PAC), and CatholicVote.org Education Fund.
CatholicVote is an independent expenditure non-profit based in Carmel, Indiana. It is not "owned" by any party or movement and is independent of the Catholic Church. However, it has been criticized for pushing right-wing politics and trying to rope voters into Republican candidates.
CatholicVote organizes campaigns and petitions that align with Catholic social teaching. For example, in 2010, it organized a petition urging the United States Postal Service to issue a Mother Teresa commemorative stamp. In 2022, it urged parents to check out any LGBT-themed books from their local libraries so that children would not be able to access them.
