Tomorrow, November 3rd, is election day in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In this year's election, we are voting for a new Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General in the statewide elections. In addition, all seats in the House of Delegates are up for election. Finally, there are many local elections that are being contested. Be sure to get out and vote in order to exercise this precious right and to fulfill your duty to others.

Part of our responsibility to love God and our neighbor includes our faithful participation in the political process. We are called to bring the Gospel, including the beautiful moral and social teaching of the Church, to bear in our daily lives. That means that we must vote with a conscience informed by Christ through His Church.

To assist us in being informed, our Bishop, through the Virginia Catholic Conference, has provided the following resources:

• A pre-election letter issued by Bishops DiLorenzo and Loverde (Participating Faithfully in the Political Process: A Letter from the Catholic Bishops of Virginia to the Faithful of Their Dioceses).


• A five-part issue series on Catholic social teaching and current state issues (Faithful Citizenship in Virginia: Issues for the 2009 Elections).


• Responses to a questionnaire sent to all candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General and contested House of Delegates seats (click here for charts for our diocese which is the Diocese of Richmond. For anyone in the other diocese in Virginia, which is the Diocese of Arlington, click here.)

Finally, some basic, but very important information:

• If you are not sure where you need to go to vote, click here to find your polling place.


• Not sure what your House of Delegate district is? Use this form to find out your House of Delegate district.

As Election Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia draws closer, our bishops want to remind us why we are obligated to vote and what we should consider in determining for whom we should vote.

First, as citizens of this great state, we have the right to vote which we should exercise in order to participate in the political process.

As Catholic Christians, we are called to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as we love ourselves. Love of neighbor includes bringing to bear the message of the Gospel and the beautiful moral and social teaching which has been faithfully handed down and preserved by Holy Mother Church. The political process is an important forum in which we are called to participate and to bring the message of the Gospel.

On, November 3rd, we will have the opportunity to vote for the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General of Virginia along with the election of the entire membership of the House of Delegates.

In order to be better informed about the issues in which we should be concerned, the Virginia Catholic Conference, which serves Virginia's two bishops as advocates for issues of social justice, is providing a five part series on key issues in Virginia entitled Faithful Citizenship in Virginia: Issues for the 2009 Elections. Each of the five parts is about two pages long and covers an important issue that we should bear in mind as we determine for whom we will vote. The topics are:

• Abortion and Embryonic Stem-Cell Research
• The Death Penalty
• Marriage and Family Life
• Economic Concerns and Health Care
• Education

Please take the time to read this information and remember to vote on Tuesday, November 3rd.