Civic Sunday

Host a Voter Registration Drive at your Church!

What is Civic Sunday?

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Civic Sunday is a targeted voter registration effort conducted in churches all across our country. To make it a success, it is vital your church participates and ensures all its members are registered to vote.

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Why have A Civic Sunday?

In order to be successful in achieving our goals of preserving the Biblical values of life, family, and religious liberty, we must begin by focusing on the most basic act that a citizen can perform – voting. Studies have shown conservative, faith-based voters are just as bad as everyone else when it comes to registering to vote and actually voting on Election Day.

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How can my church get involved?

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1. Permission

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Be sure to get permission from your pastor to conduct a voter registration drive. By making sure he approves, you can clear the way to having him help you promote it ahead of time – or even participate!

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2. Promotion

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Place an announcement in the bulletin several weeks in advance. If there is an announcement board or a video screen, try to use these as well. If possible, get your pastor or other leadership to make an announcement from the pulpit and give directions to where the registration table is located.

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3. Necessary Materials

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You should be able to get copies of the voter registration form for your state (most likely your Secretary of State’s website) or from your local, voter registration office. Make sure to have enough copies for your church. A good number would be enough for at least half of your membership. Don’t forget to have plenty of pens on hand to fill out the forms.

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4. “Stand-up Sundays”

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The most effective method of registering voters is to have the pastor or other leader ask everyone to “stand up” if they are registered to vote, then have ushers pass out voter registration forms to everyone who is still seated. Then ask them to fill those forms out before the service is over.

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Talk about accountability and civic responsibility to participate in self-government and the policy changes that could occur if more people of faith participated in our political process. Tell them that the church will mail them in for them. Then collect them before everyone leaves.

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5. Voter Registration Tables

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Be sure to set registration tables up in areas that have heavy traffic (i.e., near the exits). Spread the registration forms and other materials out on the tables in such a way that everyone can easily access them. Make sure to have plenty of pens available.

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Don’t sit down behind a table. Either stand behind or beside the table and engage people in conversation and ask them if they are registered to vote. If you’re not pro-active, people will tend to pass by you. Encourage people to fill out their form immediately at the table – telling them you will make sure it gets sent in. This avoids the chance that they might forget.

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6. Follow Up

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Make sure to copy down the names and contact information of people who register so you can follow up with them prior to the election and can remind them to vote.