To provide some insight into this question, ACI Prensa (Agencia Católica de Informaciones) spoke with Dominican Father Nelson Medina, who holds a doctorate in fundamental theology from the Milltown Institute in Dublin, and Father Mario Arroyo, who holds a doctorate in philosophy from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. A portion of the article is reprinted here.

Elections and ‘the common good’

Father Medina stressed that “the general criterion for the Christian is always that his action (or decision not to act) leads to, or favors, or at least does not hinder, achieving the common good.”

“In countries where voting is mandatory, it seems that abstaining from voting is incurring, at least nominally, a crime; it is difficult to see how this could be ordered for the common good,” he said.

The Dominican theologian said that “where it is not obligatory to vote, and once laziness or simple convenience has been excluded, it is clear that the only purpose that could be valid for abstaining from voting is to protest that the election process itself is corrupt (due to evident fraud or inevitable fraud), or to reject all candidates due to their ineptitude or low moral quality.”

“The question that follows is obvious: What effect is foreseeable from such a decision?” he pointed out.

Poor-quality candidates 

Regarding the idea of ​​“not voting out of a desire to protest the poor quality of all the candidates,” Father Medina made a distinction.

“If there is a possibility that one of the candidates, if he were to win, would change the rules of the game, for example, by establishing a new version of the constitution that perpetuates him in power, then it seems preferable to vote for the ‘lesser evil,’ given that a victory for such a candidate would eliminate the possibility of real change in the visible future,” he said.

“On the other hand, if the candidates are all terrible but there is no obvious risk of a change in the rules of the game, it can still be said that there are alternatives that would make such a protest more visible, for example, turning in a blank ballot or even achieving a significant number of disqualified votes.”

For Father Medina, except in the case in which massive abstention seems possible and could invalidate the election, all other scenarios show a preferable course of action in which it is better to vote.

‘Is God asking me to vote or not?’

Regarding whether deciding not to vote could be a sin, Father Arroyo preferred to present a positive perspective.

“Is God asking me to vote or not? Does it please God that I vote? Does voting serve me and my society? Can voting be seen as a way of practicing social charity?” However, the priest recognized that “raising the question of sin serves as a reasonable frame of reference, functioning analogously to the boundaries of a football field that delimit the playing field.”

Reflecting on the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Father Arroyo pointed out that “it is the duty of the Catholic to participate in public life to the extent of his possibilities, such that limiting oneself to just voting is already restricting one’s participation.”

Although voting is not spoken of “in terms of sin or not,” the priest said, “it is understood, however, that irresponsibility and, if applicable, laziness and disinterest, causing one to not vote, can be in themselves a sin, usually not serious.”

Arroyo notes that in no. 2239 of the Catechism, it states: “It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity.”

The Fourth Commandment

“The most direct reference to the subject is found in no. 2240 of the Catechism: ‘Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country,’” he added. “But because it is a moral requirement, a duty, it is understood that not fulfilling it is a minor offense against the virtue of justice and against the Fourth Commandment of the law of God.”

The Fourth Commandment is to honor your father and mother “that you may have a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you” (Ex 20:12). The Catechism explains that this commandment “shows us the order of charity. God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God. We are obliged to honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with his authority. This commandment is expressed in positive terms of duties to be fulfilled … It constitutes one of the foundations of the social doctrine of the Church” (2197-2198).

In this regard, Father Arroyo pointed out, “we could say that fulfilling our civic obligations is a duty of gratitude and charity toward the society that has helped us grow.”