"I'm a Catholic--What should I be thinking about before I cast my vote?"
The Catholic Vote is an accessible guide to issues Catholics should consider before going to the polls. Based on the Catholic values of life, dignity, solidarity, and proper stewardship, its five concise chapters describe 1) the importance of participating in the political life of a community, 2) the extent to which Catholic values influence Catholic voter choices, 3) the significant issues, 4) how to evaluate candidates for office, and 5) how the Catholic tradition can transform our political landscape.
Issues covered include the economy, poverty, health care, family, crime, waging war, race and ethnicity, immigration, the environment, and protecting human life.
Clarke E. Cochran is a professor of political science at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, and the author of American Public Policy: An Introduction and co-author of Catholics, Politics, and Public Policy: Beyond Left and Right.
David Carroll Cochran is an associate professor of politics at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa and the director of the Archbishop Kucera Center for Catholic Intellectual and Spiritual Life at Loras College and the Archdiocese of Dubuque. He is the author of The Color of Freedom: Race and Contemporary American Liberalism and the co-author of Catholics, Politics, and Public Policy: Beyond Left and Right.