People went to the polls yesterday to vote on more than just who would be the next president of the United States. Voters in two states and one city voted on ballot initiatives that would have impacted religious freedom.
American voters last night decided that Donald J. Trump, a real estate developer and reality TV star with no political experience, should be the next president of the United States.
What happens next? How will Americans United’s issues be affected?
Trump’s victory is extremely troubling because during the campaign, he was often dismissive of church-state separation and meaningful religious liberty. The issues that matter to Americans United seemed to mean little to Trump. He made several proposals that can charitably be described as reckless.
Consider the following:
Americans will go to the polls tomorrow and elect a new president. It’s an awesome responsibility, one of the defining characteristics of a free people.
Americans United is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Under federal law, we can’t endorse or oppose candidates (although we can take sides on ballot referenda). Unlike some Religious Right groups, we respect this law and follow it.
It’s not our job to tell you how to vote. It is our job to remind you why civic participation is important. And it’s our job to tell you – and all Americans – what we stand for.
After years of struggles over the inclusion of creationism in Texas public school textbooks, it’s possible that this fight may soon be extinct.
By Kelly Percival
Thirty-eight states protect religious liberty in their constitutions by prohibiting taxpayer money from being used to fund religion or religious institutions. These “no-aid clauses” safeguard the integrity of houses of worship by ensuring that they do not become beholden to state interests. Next week, however, Oklahoma voters will face State Question 790, a dangerous ballot measure that, if passed, would repeal Oklahoma’s no-aid-to-religion clause and erode the separation of church and state there.
We have spoken out about Islamophobia a lot during this election season, but there’s another bad trend under way that shouldn’t be overlooked: a rising tide of anti-Semitism.
The phenomenon has manifested itself in a variety of ways – whether it’s through anti-Semitic graphics or attacks on reporters who are Jewish or perceived to be Jewish.
In September, a federal appeals court ruled that it is legal for members of the Rowan County, N.C., Board of Commissioners to open its meetings with a public prayer led by a board member.
Rowan County’s not a heavily urban area. It has a population of about 138,000. Not surprisingly, most of the prayers – about 97 percent – have been Christian in nature.
After the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which recognized same-sex couples’ right to marry, the fight to attain equal treatment for all advanced to a new and much-needed area of the law: protecting the rights of transgender persons.
By Cynthia Holmes and The Rev. Rudy Pulido
Missouri voters will be asked to vote on several ballot initiatives on Nov. 8. As the president and vice president of AU’s St. Louis Chapter, we hope that Missourians will vote no on Amendment 3 because it would strip religious freedom protections from our state constitution.
Amendment 3 is officially titled the Early Childhood Health and Education Amendment. Its stated purpose is to improve health care and increase access to early childhood education opportunities by implementing a tax on cigarettes.
