NASHVILLE (BP) -- Voter registration deadlines are approaching, with a few swing states setting the limit at Oct. 9, and pro-family groups are emphasizing the need for Christians to participate in the upcoming election.
Champion the Vote estimates that out of 60 million Christians in the United States, only 30 million of them vote in any given election or are even registered to vote.
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For a list of voter registration deadlines in all 50 states, click here.
"With most elections being decided by smaller and smaller margins, we cannot win the public debate over the critical issues of faith, family and freedom if like-minded Americans stay home on Election Day," the Family Research Council said on ivotevalues.org.
Meeting the challenges facing the nation will require a greater level of commitment from believers than has been necessary in generations, FRC said in explaining the importance of its get-out-the-vote effort.
"Politics is not a hobby like scrapbooking. Getting involved should not be an option. Politics, whether we like it or not, affects every area of our lives," columnist Sudi Kate Gliebe, cofounder of Patriots' Campaign Ministry, wrote for Baptist Press Sept. 21. "... 'We the people' means that all of us are responsible to preserve our republic."
Voter registration deadlines for key states in the upcoming presidential election, according to FRC, are as follows: Colorado: Oct. 9; Florida: Oct. 9; Iowa: Oct. 26; Nevada: Oct. 16; New Hampshire: Oct. 27; North Carolina: Oct. 12; Ohio: Oct. 9; Virginia: Oct. 15; and Wisconsin: Oct. 17.
While it is imperative for eligible voters in those states to make their convictions known, the iVoteValues effort is urging every eligible U.S. citizen to register and vote, no matter where they live.
FRC also is urging concerned citizens to help others register to vote by connecting with pastors and churches in their area and asking them to host a voter registration event and by contacting unregistered people in their area and encouraging them to be sure they're ready to vote in November.
Election Day is Nov. 6.
Compiled by Baptist Press assistant editor Erin Roach. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter (@BaptistPress), Facebook (Facebook.com/BaptistPress ) and in your email ( baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp).
Copyright (c) 2012 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press www.BPNews.net
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