What's wrong with voting in churches? A local atheist extremist activist is trying to make it illegal?

Why not vote in schools and public buildings, it seems to work pretty well in Oz and with compulsory voting in all elections. Churches may have been in excess of schools in the US at the time of this traditions inception. but hell the clock says 2013. When do we leave this medieval twaddle behind.

What is "voting in churches"? Where I'm from the only voting that happens is a matter of who gets on the Parish Council. It's an internal matter that decides who represents the congregation when discussing matters with the pastor.

Certainly voting for public office never comes up as a matter of church voting. Churches do not (or at least "should not") influence who votes for political positions in parliament. If you live in an area that does do this, I cannot present similar views, since I have never experienced it.

Whatever the case, my brain exploded when attempting to decipher your meaning when you said that a "local atheist extremist activist is trying to make it illegal". What is he/she trying to make illegal? And why is it so wrong?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Gee, no bias or pressure there...eye roll

legally, the first amendment says Congress shall not pass laws governing one religion over another...T Jefferson, co-author of the Constitution explained that the amendments purpose was 'to keep a wall of separation between church & state'

that would be the legal argument used

edit: some people may ge to their local church for social reasons but wouldn't feel comfortable voting there, since it is a private issue, they may worry that the preacher (or whoever) will peek

The same thing that's wrong with voting in the headquarters of a particular political party of candidate. It's the same reason why election posters are not allowed in the polling rooms and political agitation of all kinds has to take place outside. The point is that we don't want to people to be influenced when they're doing the actual voting.

Churches are suppose to stay out of politics, but really we all know they don't. Having a church as your polling location is likely to influence the votes that people cast. As such, it shouldn't be allowed.

This is civics 101. How come you don't know this?

I presume you mean polling places. There are sufficient laws against voter intimidation that that should not be necessary. Specific complaints can be given to the FBI. Specific buildings that harbor hateful congregations can be banned. The best action would be to find a suitable location and lobby for its substitution for the church hall.

The problem would be voter intimidation, appearance of state sponsorship of a religion ... the usual stuff that you might think an over-reaction.

A few years ago when California had Prop. 8 up for a vote (to deny gays the right to marry), nearly all of the Catholic and Mormon churches had put up signs and banners on their property encouraging support of Prop. 8. Let's leave aside for a moment that putting up signs and banners supporting a ballot proposition violates their IRS 503-C tax-exempt status (which it does)...

Some of those same churches then acted as polling places. As local citizens, of any and all and no religions, went in to vote, they were confronted with banners supporting Prop. 8 for *religious* reasons. Both federal and state law *prohibit* any "electioneering" within a certain distance of a polling place (which includes putting up signs and banners for or against any candidate or proposition), because that unduly influences and puts pressure on voters. Yet here we were, polling places in churches (which others have pointed out problems with), with illegal campaign banners five feet from the entrances to polling places. Some people in my local community tried to get the banners taken down, or the polling places disqualified -- the christian in charge of local elections denied their requests (illegally).

As others have pointed out, you probably wouldn't go vote if your polling place was in a mosque, yet you seem to think it's just fine for you to do the same thing to others. It's completely hypocritical, illegal, and unconstitutional -- yet you seem to have no problem with it as long as it's YOUR religion that's involved.

I wouldn't stop anyone voting in churches but I kind of agree that they shouldn't have voting in there.

Because everyone knows Christianity has it's own agendas and regularly try to force them on governments, So really it means you going to vote in one of the least impartial places possible and they should only use places like schools and community centres.

Would you go to vote in a satanic church? If no then why not? Would it be that you do not belong to that religion and being forced to enter their place of worship in order to practice your right to vote is not right?

There are many places where voting can be held. There is no reason why it has to be a church.

What kind of voting? Are you referring to voting/elections for government officials/policies or voting/elections for church officials/policies? Or are you referring to having a church as a voting venue?

If it's for government officials/policies, the church as a collective shouldn't be directly involved. But the church-going individual has a Constitutional right to be allowed to vote in designated non-religious voting venues, if they so choose.

If you're referring to using a church as a voting venue, then that is wrong and unconstitutional. A voting venue is supposed to be in a neutral location, and a church is hardly neutral.

On church matters? Nothing. As a public polling place? It is self evidently wrong. Can we have a polling place in a mosque? Public elections need to be held in public buildings.