Massive Christian Coalition Get-Out-The-Vote Effort

By Jonathan Karl/CNN

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (Nov. 4) -- Voter turnout may hit a record low this year, but not if the Christian Coalition can help it. In what it calls its most ambitious outreach effort, the group this Sunday set out to blanket 125,000 evangelical and Roman Catholic churches with more than 45 million voter guides.

That's one voter guide for every three voters in America. Said Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed, "This is of course part of an effort that we believe is the largest get-out-the-vote and voter-education effort in the history of the Christian community."

The Christian Coalition calls their voter guides non-partisan, but critics say the guides make it clear the organization prefers conservative candidates.

The guides vary from state to state, laying out the positions of candidates at the federal, state and local levels. For the presidential candidates, the guides list eight issues, including abortion, school prayer and the balanced budget amendment.

The Clinton-Gore campaign responded with an ad targeting church-going voters: "How you vote is up to you, but don't let the politicians fool you with untrue voter guides."

The Christian Coalition, which claims a membership of 1.7 million, distributed 450,000 guides at churches in New York City, including the Grace Church in Brooklyn, which distributed them as inserts inside the day's bulletin.

Pastor Kenneth W. Griepp of Grace Church in Brooklyn told his congregation, "You can look at some of these issues that really impact our families, impact our personal lives, and we are responsible to see our country continue in its greatness."

At least one church-goer was enthusiastic. "We heard about the Christian Coalition," she exclaimed. "I've been waiting for it for so long. I got my information on how I should vote...and I can make my own decision right here. It's great."

The Christian Coalition says it has distributed 12 million more voter guides this year than it did in 1994. The group hopes this massive effort will get Christian conservatives to the polls in a year when some experts are predicting record-low turnout for a presidential election.

About 55 percent of the eligible electorate voted in 1992. That contrasts with the 80 percent norm of the 1800s. Since World War II, the highest turnout was 64 percent in 1960; by 1988 it was down to 50 percent.

Massive Christian Coalition Get-Out-The-Vote Effort

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