America’s editors have selected some of our top stories about the election to appeal to whatever you might be feeling or thinking about on Election Day Eve. Check back tomorrow for more in-depth analysis. And, if you haven’t already, go vote!
Read this if you…are anxious about the election
- A Prayer for the Election
Regardless of how you feel about tomorrow: Prayer is probably a good place to start. - Jesuit tools to help you survive the election (and its aftermath)
Lots of people have reported strong feelings about this election and the anxiety about potentially living in a period of uncertainty about its outcome. James Martin, S.J., offers some expertise from St. Ignatius about how to live through the coming days.
Read this if you…are still undecided
While polls show that there are fewer undecided voters this election than in previous ones, and millions of Americans have already voted, you (or your friends and family) might still be mulling over who to vote for.
- Explainer: Yes, Catholics can vote for Democrats. (They can vote for Republicans, too!)
Every election cycle, it seems there is no shortage of those who want to tell Catholics that they have to vote a certain way. Sam Sawyer, S.J., and James T. Keane break down why that is not the case. - Jeannie Gaffigan: My loved ones told me ‘real’ Catholics vote for Trump. Here’s my response.
Jeannie Gaffigan was told by one of the aforementioned Catholics that she wasn’t a real Catholic if she didn’t vote for Trump. Her response? “I am a real Catholic, and I am not going to vote for Donald J. Trump.” - President Trump kept his promises. That’s why, as a Catholic, I want four more years.
On the pro-Trump side: Teresa S. Collett, a professor of law at the University of St. Thomas, explains why she is backing the president again in 2020.
Read this if you…want to hear the other side’s perspective
- The Top 3 Reasons that Catholics will Vote for Trump or Biden
Perhaps you’re thinking to yourself “I can’t imagine how a Catholic could vote for [insert candidate name here]!” Bill McCormick, S.J., and James T. Keane analyzed the top three reasons that Catholics are pulling the lever for each candidate.
Read this if you…want a broader perspective
- Bishop Seitz: Single-issue voting has corrupted Christian political witness
Bishop Mark J. Seitz, the bishop of El Paso, Tex., looks at a variety of problems that have hampered Christian political witness in recent years. One key reason he diagnoses: single-issue voting. - Explainer: A brief history of the Catholic Vote in the United States
The Catholic vote in the United States is neither monolithic nor static—and it has changed and evolved throughout American history. Robert David Sullivan dives into the archives to provide a historical summary of the shifts in the Catholic vote since the 1800s.
Read this story if you…want to know what America thinks
- America magazine: Donald Trump is a unique threat to the Constitution
America does not endorse political candidates and is a platform where a diversity of opinions can flourish. It’s why we have published the opinions of those who support Donald Trump and Joe Biden in the 2020 election. But as a journal of opinion, our editorial board published the magazine’s take on the election in our October issue: “In ordinary times, the debate about presidential candidates can be a healthy and spirited exchange about how Catholics should approach their civic duties. But this is no ordinary time.”
Post-script: If you’d rather listen than read:
Voting Catholic is a new podcast from America Media that explores the top voting issues in the United States, from abortion to immigration to racial justice, by sharing the voices of experts and activists on the front lines.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
On Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics, Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis interviewed Pat Conroy, S.J., the chaplain for the House of Representatives about praying for your “political enemies.” And if you enjoyed Jeannie Gaffigan’s article on how “real Catholics” vote, listen to her conversation with the hosts about the hard choice that pro-life Catholics face this—and every—Election Day.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
Post-post script: If you’d rather watch than listen or read:
What does President Trump have to offer Catholic voters? | Behind the Story
What does Joe Biden have to offer Catholic voters? | Behind the Story
