From the AHA: Be Vigilant on Election Day!

Be Vigilant on Election Day!

Please vote in Tuesday's presidential, congressional and local elections and help raise your personal voice in the public square! Civic participation is critical if we are to develop the influence we need to make a difference in the public debate on the issues that matter most.

Especially now, this election offers an opportunity to make a difference. In particular, we're asking you to pay special attention to your local polling place.

If you are one of many humanists whose polling place is in a church, synagogue or temple, please take notes on your experience and e-mail them to our Appignani Humanist Legal Center coordinator Bob Ritter at britter@americanhumanist.org.

When houses of worship are used as polling places, obvious religious symbols and posters favoring a religious position within the voting area should be covered up so that no voter feels intimidated or that she or he is an outsider. Also, church leaders and members are forbidden to proselytize at the polls. Yet we have reason to believe that these rules aren't always being followed.

Let's make sure everyone has the right to vote their own conscience, free from religious coercion. Share with the AHA your observations, any religious statements that you heard by poll workers or any one affiliated with the church, and especially any pictures you may have taken of outside or inside the polling area (pictures inside the polling room may require the consent of an election official or should be taken the day before or after the election). Send your observations and photos to Bob Ritter at britter@americanhumanist.org. EVIDENCE IS CRUCIAL. We would also suggest that you call your supervisor of elections to request that any religious signs and/or icons be covered up.

Start preparing for a more humanist future by supporting this effort of the American Humanist Association! (https://www.americanhumanist.org/secure/contribute.php)