Get the complete Voter Guide here, or scroll down for the guide specific to your diocese.

 The U.S. Bishops have made clear that Catholics have a moral responsibility to participate in the political process. In their pastoral statement, Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility they write: “All believers are called to faithful citizenship, to become informed, active, and responsible participants in the political process.  Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power.”

 With this in mind, the state’s Catholic Bishops, through the New York State Catholic Conference, sent out a 10-question survey to every candidate for governor, lieutenant governor, comptroller, attorney general, state Senate and state Assembly. The intent was to serve as a guide to Catholics as they consider who to vote for on Election Day, November 7.

The questions were mailed the day after the September 12 primary elections to candidates of both major and minor political parties. Candidates were instructed that they should return their responses by September 28. The Catholic Conference received responses from only 27 percent of those who were sent surveys. When candidates failed to respond, all boxes associated with their names were left blank. In some cases, the candidate responded with a letter but did not answer the questions, usually stating that he or she has a policy of not answering such surveys. These candidates are indicated in the Voter Guide with the line, “Response did not include answers to survey questions.” In the letter that was sent with the survey, candidates were told that explanations of their positions could not be accommodated, given space constraints. Nevertheless, some did send written responses that could not be accurately categorized as support, oppose or no position. In these cases, the answer is listed as QR, which stands for qualified response. If a candidate left a question blank, it is indicated by NR, or no response to that question.

The Catholic Conference position is listed at the top of each page.  However, this does not imply an endorsement of any particular candidates for office.

The questions asked of the candidates were as follows:

1. Do you support or oppose a state tax credit directly linked to public and private education expenses incurred by parents, including tuition for religious and independent schools, tutoring, test preparation, etc.?   (Catholic position=Support)
2. Do you support or oppose an increase in the amount of the public assistance grant, which has not been raised since 1990?  (Catholic position=Support)
3. Do you support or oppose the death penalty?  (Catholic position=Oppose)
4. Do you support or oppose a ban on cloning human embryos for any purpose, including for embryonic stem cell research and other medical experimentation?  (Catholic position=Support)
5. Do you support or oppose the right of religious-affiliated health care and human service providers to offer services to the community in accord with their religious beliefs? (Catholic position=Support)
6. Do you support or oppose taxpayer funding of abortion?  (Catholic position=Oppose)
7. Do you support or oppose parental notification prior to abortions performed on minors?  (Catholic position=Support)
8. Do you support or oppose extending to migrant farm workers the same labor rights granted to all other workers in the state?  (Catholic position=Support)
9. Do you support or oppose a state definition of marriage as between one man and one woman?   (Catholic position=Support)
10. Do you support or oppose criminalizing immigrants for their undocumented status and imposing criminal penalties on the organizations who provide them with services? (Catholic position=Oppose)

Click here for the complete voter guide

To find races by diocese, click on the appropriate link below:

Archdiocese of New York guide

Diocese of Albany guide

Diocese of Brooklyn guide

Diocese of Buffalo guide

 Diocese of Ogdensburg guide

Diocese of Rochester guide

Diocese of Rockville Centre guide

Diocese of Syracuse guide