Why Vote?
Our Catholic faith includes a rich tradition of teaching about and working for justice. There are seven themes of Catholic social teaching (https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching): the life and dignity of each human being; the call to family, community, and participation; rights and responsibilities; option for the poor and vulnerable; the dignity of work and the rights of workers; solidarity; and care for creation. Each of these themes highlights our responsibilities as voters.
The theme of The Call to Family, Community, and Participation emphasizes that we are created as social beings and that we support human dignity in our families and our communities. We believe “we have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good.” (https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/call-to-family-community-and-participation) Voting is one way that we participate as responsible citizens. Learn more about registering to vote and early voting here https://saintjn.org/11384/registering-to-vote-and-early-voting/.
Registering to Vote, Checking Your Voting Registration Status, and Requesting an Absentee Ballot
You can register to vote in person or on-line. The last day to register to vote is October 17th! You can go to the Virginia Department of Elections website to obtain information about how to register, to register on-line, or to download a voting registration application that you can mail in: https://vote.elections.virginia.gov/VoterInformation. You can also scan this QR code, which brings you to the same website.
If you are registered to vote and want to request an absentee ballot, you go to the same website or use the same QR code.
If you want to register in person, you can do so by going to your Voting Registration Office in your county. In Fairfax County, that office is in Suite 323 of the Fairfax County Government Center at 12000 Government Center Pkwy Fairfax, VA 22035-0001. In Loudoun County, that office is The Office of Elections, 750 Miller Dr SE Ste C, Leesburg, VA 20175-8916. In Prince William County, the Office of Elections is at 9250 Lee Ave, Ste 1, Manassas, VA 20110-5554. You can also obtain voter registration applications at DMV offices, public libraries, and many state/county offices.
Registering to Vote in the Parish Voter Registration Campaign
St John Neumann will be offering opportunities to register to vote after many of the Masses starting on Sunday, 18 September.
Early Voting
You can vote early, starting on 23 September and continuing until 5 November. You must have the required ID with you: a voter card, driver’s license, state ID card, and other forms of acceptable ID listed at this website of the Virginia Department
of Elections: https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/voter-id/outreach-materials/documents/Voter-Identification-Chart-Rev-4-28-21.pdf The early voting daily schedules and locations vary by county.
For Fairfax County, the information on early voting is available at https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/early-voting.
For Loudoun County, the information on early voting is available at https://www.loudoun.gov/voteearly.
For Prince William County, information on early voting is available at https://www.pwcvotes.org/earlyvoting.
Vote and encourage your friends to vote as well!
