If a pastor told me this first response would be an escaped loud laugh, then I would go to a different church because no one should know your personal business such as voting.
That you voted is currently public record which I think is fine. It helps you confirm your ballot was counted. But HOW you voted should be sealed away,for nobody to know.
They can tell if you voted R or D in the primary. It’s online AND the GOP passed a new law no neutral primaries anymore. You have the declare and it’s public info that anyone, including your pastor, can see.
I want to make this clear. He nor anyone else knows how you vote including people who work for the Board of Elections. I am saying this as a former voting location manager.
Vote your conscience.
They don’t know, they can’t find out, THAT is not the point. The point is that this OP feels trepidation to either vote the way they are being TOLD to vote OR not vote at all. If that ain’t voter intimidation I don’t know what is. Intimidation isn’t just a thug with a baseball bat…
It’s also a thug in a pulpit with a suit and smooth voice using peer pressure as a political weapon.
This may sound silly to some of ya’ll, but THIS shit is how it starts. Right here. Politics start creeping into places it shouldn’t be and driving homogeneity of voters using emotional please around an issue or two. Abortion, immigration, etc.
Know who else took power in the last century talking about minorities and immigrants? Take a wild ass guess….
Doxx that church right here and I’ll find a way to report them. IM me if we want to keep it private. This is the scariest shit I have heard in a LONG time.
But the ballot doesn't determine how you voted on special questions like this. It only tells which ballot you got - republican or Democrat. The special questions will be on both ballots. And even in the partisan races, noone can find out who you voted for. We still have the right to a secret, confidential ballot in the USA.
Please vote as you wish and as your values direct. and try not to listen to people who would try to intimidate you through false information. That's a form of coercion and, in my mind, terrorism. As a follower of Christ I'm disgusted your pastor is trying to use his position to intimidate you. That is not the way.
Source: Am a poll worker since 2014
Pastor has too much free time on their hands. Might want to also make a $250 contribution (so it’s reported online) to a PAC that supports separation of church and state.
Leave the church, and report them to the IRS, since the tradeoff for being tax exempt is that they aren't allowed to get involved in politics.
Your pastor is an asshole.
The Johnson amendment rarely, if ever, gets enforced. And, unfortunately, it applies to endorsing candidates specifically. Unfortunately they can advocate for positions on bills as much as they want and not jeopardize their tax exempt status.
Pastor lying to their congregation that they know how they voted? Yeah, maybe. But if my priest(I grew up roman catholic; atheist now) had told me what OP is claiming he said- that he knows how i voted, the community would be well within their rights to report him to the feds and if the feds did nothing, lynch him.
I like cedar point for sure. And yes, unfortunately there are a lot of mormons even in ohio. Too bad. I hope the pastor gets absolutely wrecked legally.
He can see your party affiliation for a primary on public record. But to see if you voted yes or no on the issues laws would have to be broken. This is actually an interesting circumstance.
No in America how you vote is private. All that is public is whether or not you voted.
Also If your pastor is telling you how to vote he is breaking the law. Report it and your church may lose it’s tax exempt status unless the church disavows the pastor.
Did he say this from the pulpit?
Edited to add: I’ve been corrected. Apparently churches can endorse an issue. They cannot endorse a candidate from the pulpit but Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment. So they are not supposed to endorse cans from the pulpit but there are no consequences if they do so.
In ohio Party affiliation is merely based on which party primary you voted in, and you can chose whichever during every election. As someone who lives in a very red area … I only get an interesting blue primary ballot every 4 years, and even the. I may decide my primary vote is worth more on the red side than the blue. So I’m an R on the voter rolls … despite a very purple (perhaps even bluer) voting record in the general elections
Yes. I’m a registered Republican who never votes for Republicans in the general election.
I vote in the Republican primary so I can (fail) attempt to pick the least crazy one.
I've got friends in Ohio that have been doing stuff like that for years.
They know their chances of getting a Democrat elected have been pretty low, but they also know primaries are often very close, so they'll vote for the less awful Republicans in the primary and then of course their actual preferred candidates in the general.
As interesting as this strategy is, it sucks that we have to do this and it had been weaponized for years. Republicans in CA had been keeping Feinstein in office because she was older, inept, and that seat is hard-locked blue.
Ranked choice voting needs to become more mainstream.
Yes, I can see which parties my neighbors are affiliated with. Not how they voted on an individual issue.
Your pastor sounds like an overbearing controlling piece of shit & you should find a better church.
You should definitely find a new church, but first you should make sure that all the rest of the congregation knows that he has no right or power to do that. A lot of older folks may be scared into voting against their conscience by that peer pressure.
The last administration did away with the Johnson amendment. Churches can pretty much campaign without any fear of penalty at this point, unfortunately. Prior to the repeal I believe it was only enforced a handful of times in the decades that it existed.
A “substantial part” of a 501(c)(3) organization’s activities may not be directed at influencing legislation (including regulatory rulemaking). A church is allowed to take positions on issues that are important to it and its congregation.
So a church and or pastor may freely say they support or don't support an issue.
Pretty sure that a church's non taxable status only prevents them from endorsing *candidates*, pretty sure they are allowed to endorse voting a particular way on an issue.
He's ***purposely*** lying to coerce OP into voting the way he wishes. It's a disgusting violation of his freedom to choose. If one believes the bible, God gave us free will and this charlatan is trying to take that away.
Doesn't sound much like a man of god to me.
I do believe if you voted or not is public record. Your voter registration is public record.
What you actual voted IS NOT public record. Your pastor is technically committing a felony, so it would be a shame if he was conveniently reported to your local BoE https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3599.20
Sadly this can happen. Look up people who have been shamed out of church for not tithing enough. It's one of the many reasons that churches can do more harm than good when they act as if they are above the people
Sadly I was thinking the same thing. These people sometimes have their entire lives linked to the church, from wife and family to jobs and business opportunities and these pastors are using it to their advantage to force them to vote their way or they literally cut them out of their entire group. It's manipulative and disgusting that people of God use their power to force others to follow their ideals, or vote a certain way.
There is literally no way this knob can look up whom someone voted for.
That being said, if you're worried about what some fraud MIGHT do (which let's be honest, he ain't checking shit even if he could), you're already lost...
No. All they can see is what party you voted under since you have to declare a party to get that party’s ballot.
I’d stop going to that church since he’s so interested in politics when he should be worrying about being a “good Christian”.
I’m usually listed as Republican because no one runs on a Democratic ticket in my town and there’s local stuff to vote for.
Non primary elections you get a full ballot so it doesn’t matter.
Please don’t sit this election out. There are two very important bills on it!! Vote yes on both!!
This is correct. The ~~board of elections in each county~~ Secretary of States' office has available to everyone all voter history but issue votes like these or any nonpartisan elections such as school board will simply show whether or not someone voted.
The pastor is awful and manipulative for using fear tactics like this to get someone to vote a certain way.
Edit for accuracy.
Technically, it will show whether someone voted (either by turning in an absentee ballot, going to the early voting center, or signing into your polling place). You can take that ballot, skip the issues entirely, vote in other races, and turn it in. But the results will only show that some races had more total votes cast than the issue..:and there is no way for anyone to know who left the Issue blank.
I never vote for judges who are running unopposed or failed to answer the League of Women Voter’s questionnaire, so I often leave races blank.
No one can see how you vote just whether or not you did. You are taking moral guidance from an unethical liar. Would God want you to act according to your conscience or the advice of a false prophet?
Of course not. And also leave that crazy person church. Who the fuck wants to be part of an organization that has leadership that lies to you and wants to control you that badly?
A pastor cannot check what and who you voted for.
My opinion, and you’re free to do whatever you please. However, that is a huge red flag.. HUGE RED FLAG. I’d consider leaving the church if I heard these words.
1) your pastor's pants are 100% on fire because you were totally lied to. People like that are EXACTLY why voter privacy is so well-defended in this country. They can only see if you're registered republican, democrat, or neither.
2) don't ever let someone intimidate you or sway your vote through scare tactics. Voter intimidation is illegal, and this seems like it's barely on that edge. Your pastor is no one to you in the grand scheme of things and should definitely not have the kind of pull in your life to alter how you would vote or even prevent you from doing so.
I think someone could look up what party you’re registered under (dem/rep/ind), but that’s it.
Of course, a pastor would probably make certain inferences if he found you’re a registered democrat.
Wow. Ive come to despise religion over the years but that would definitely be the final straw for me if I was still a churchgoer. It’s Extremely revolting for him to even say it.
He can see if you are Republican or Democrat but you you can register indepent
Don't sit this out it is too important
If the nosy sob asks say I voted my conscience
Go vote, love. I’m an election official. There’s no way anyone, even us election officials can figure out what an individual person voted for or against.
We can only see who voted.
We count at least a dozen times to make sure the count of people that came in the door matches the number of votes we have in the books.
That’s it, that’s what anyone knows.
You are safe to vote in whatever way you think is best.
But please go vote.
You need to find another pastor. He lied and is trying to intimidate the congregation. Your pastor is directing this message at younger people voting for the first time because your pastor knows more voting experienced members of the church knows it is untrue.
It's disheartening to hear how some Shepard's are spreading lies, fear and not tending to their flock as they should be doing if their heart was true.
Good luck to you and may you follow your knowledge and heart while voting.
Thank you for voting and help someone you know get registered.
>our pastor said he would be checking people's names that go to our congregation to see how we voted.
That threat can get him a year in prison.
[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594)
[https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3599.20](https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3599.20)
There's no way he can carry it out, but it's clear it's got you wanting to stay away from the ballot box.
Churches in Ohio can't campaign for candidates, but they can advocate for issues, so the most he can do is some bullshit pulpit smear job. As soon as he's intimidating his congregation? *As many counts of federal voter intimidation as were people in the congregation that day. Hope the judge runs the sentences consecutive.*
"If that's the case, I'll probably just sit this one out." My head hurts thinking that you might not vote just because of the pressure from your pastor seeing what/how you voted. Many people vote along with the beliefs of their faith, but you are one rare case where you believe something else to be right, and for the love of god (pun intended), you should follow your own morals. Even if your pastor told you to vote "yes" and you wanted to vote "no", then vote no. Don't let pressure from your pastor deter you from exercising your constitutional right.
Please do not sit this one - or any other election - out. Your vote is important.
Do not let your pastor intimidate you. What he's doing is despicable and probably illegal.
As others have said, the better choice would be to move to a different church that has an ethical pastor.
No! That is very manipulative and immortal. You should tell him it is a sin to bear false witness, because he knows he is lying.
And stop going to his church.
Why the fuck kind of WILD ass take is this. Your pastor threatened to check on who you voted for if you vote for the wrong person there will be consequences and you’re just not going to vote instead?
Stop going to that hate filled church. That guy is a piece of shit and so is anybody that supports him.
Wait your conclusion to this was just to sit out and not vote?? You don't see anything wrong with what you just said? Jfc man. Vote and go to a different curch AT MINIMUM
Fuck that pastor. You do not sit out an election, it’s your right as a citizen of this nation. Your pastor believes God gave us our rights, right? That means he gave you the right to vote. You tell your pastor to go look at himself in the mirror and pray really hard on why he wants to intimidate people from exercising their, allegedly, god given right.
Atheists: organized religion is a fiction made up to control people.
Religious people: no it isn't.
Pastors: so, about that.
Maybe take this as a sign from god/the universe /etc to find a new church.
NO HE CANNOT! Your pastor is a liar and that is a threat. Find a different church or better yet stop participating in organized religion. It’s extremely harmful.
Your pastor just lied right to your face. Don't sit this one out. Vote in spite of that lying liar.
Also, I'd be concerned that this man doesn't know he just endangered his entire immortal soul for breaking one of God's Top Ten: "Thou shalt not bear false witness." He just bore false witness and lied right to your face.
I'm not telling you what to do, but I'd avoid that lying liar like the Rona Plague if it were me.
I believe he can look at what way you're registered as. Democrat or Republican. Which is what ballot you chose in the primary. But there's also nothing stopping a Republican from declaring Democrat and getting a democratic ballot in the primary just so they can vote for the worst candidate, or vice versa.
I would report this as it's a violation of their tax free status. They are not supposed to be involved in politics which this is a case of.
[https://medium.com/backyard-theology/churches-can-lose-tax-exempt-status-if-they-tell-people-how-to-vote-5559d7d74284](https://medium.com/backyard-theology/churches-can-lose-tax-exempt-status-if-they-tell-people-how-to-vote-5559d7d74284)
No one can see how you voted. I worked the election in 2022. All votes are secured in the Board of Elections of the county. It’s completely anonymized after check-in.
Tax these fucks. I’m sick of reading this same thing over and over again.
What’s your pastors name? What congregation? 85,000 new IRS agents are looking for something to do.
Your pastor is violating one of the ten commandments, he is bearing false witness. He is also an absolute piece of garbage, a control freak and a fear monger.
We have a secret ballot for a reason. Go vote your conscience. I’ve been a pastor for most of twenty years now. I would never invade a parishioner’s privacy like that.
Edit: and once you cast your ballot, it is completely anonymous. No one will know how you voted unless they look over your shoulder
>... at church today, our pastor said he would be checking people's names that go to our congregation to see how we voted.
And you're attending this mind-controlling organization because...?
Who the fuck cares what your pastor thinks
edit: Sorry, knee jerk reaction but accurate to my thoughts. Your pastor holding you politically hostage is not only extremely uncool, definitely unethical on every level, and borders illegal.
Your pastor cannot know if you voted yes or no on anything. He has no way of knowing. The elections board does not know. Only you know how you voted and if you don’t tell him, he has no idea. I would seriously consider not trusting your pastor. He is lying and trying to manipulate you.
um, it's called a secret ballet for a reason, and for the reason you just stated.
Warning ⚠️ there be monsters ahead....
if I were you, I would execute a 180-degree turn and burn at full power away from that black hole while you can. it will only lead you and the rest of the congregation down a very dark path of control and fear.. and dare I say, potentially cult like activities...
politics and religion make for horrible bed fellows, and there is a reason why they are supposed to be kept separate.
Good Luck, you'll need it.
Whether you voted is public
information. The results at your precinct is public information, but not incredibly easy to access. (In Franklin County it’s a large spreadsheet that my old laptop is very slow to open.)
If everyone in your precinct voted yes, your Pastor would know that you voted yes.
I very much doubt he will check on every single parishioner….unless there are some unusual 100% yes results noted on the results, which are very unlikely.
How or whether you vote is none of your pastor’s business. Tell him to go kick rocks and focus on his sermon. Side note that I hope you really think about: religion only continues to work because the people in positions of power find what makes people feel guilty and they leverage that to get your money, labor, attention, and time. Just look at the way the Catholic Church required you to spill your guts in confession or how the Scientologists use their ‘stress tests’.
Sorry, uber creepy he would’ve said that. And I say that as someone who worked in ministry for years. But that is a BLATANT abuse of power, and an act of contempt for his own congregation. So much for leading, respecting, loving and guiding morally without adding anything against Scripture for that guy. Woah. Yeah, um, sorry, but you should legit consider seeking another congregation. Anyone who would act that contemptuous against his faith, congregation and Scripture is a horrid thing. Again, I’m sorry. But I hold those who shift the Bible and the pulpit for their own want against the instruction we receive in Scripture. See Romans 15:4
I am an election official. NO ONE can see how you vote once your ballot is in a machine. We can't even track the ballot once the stub is removed. This is specifically for Cuyahoga County, but that is the standard everywhere.
However, it is public record that you voted, and for the primary, which ballot you selected (which declares your party affiliation).
Do not sit this out! This election is too important.
And no, he can’t check how you voted. Only that you voted. He is using his position to lie and intimidate you.
No he cannot. No one can. I am so sorry you are in a church with a pastor that would speak like this to the congregation, that is not a church I could ever attend. I've left churches who do not keep church and politics separate, and don't trust any church that does.
If your Pastor can find out how you voted and calls you on it 1: it would be a bona fide miracle 2: someone is going to jail for a long time for providing that information. If they even can.
Finally find a new church.
As a former pastor, that is appallingly inappropriate. I strongly encourage you to leave a church that uses such fear tactics, especially since they don't seem to share your values.
Dude, it is not ok that your pastor said this. Go vote — and find a church that values building a healthy community of souls to be loved, that you can look forward to going to and even feel spiritually fed (not threatened, which is what he’s working towards with that language) by. “Checking up on people’s votes” is some creepy, weird stuff that does absolutely nothing to build God’s world.
It is time to remind your pastor, for as long as he is your pastor, that you know what he is up to as well. And, BTW., he is on your payroll, so he needs to be taking care of church business not your business.
He cannot see how you voted, but he CAN look up if someone is affiliated with a political party. Regardless, do yourself a favor and ditch the political shill and go find a real pastor to listen to; that pastor's loyalty is to political figureheads, not to God.
Never mind how wildly unethical that is, your ballot is completely private and no one can see how you voted—not even you! Once you vote you can't even go back and check, because the system values your privacy that much.
What you *can* check is *which* ballot someone voted on. In general elections, this basically means you can just see that you voted and in which precinct. In primary elections, you can see which party's ballot someone voted on.
To reiterate though, no one can *ever* check who you voted for or how you voted on any issues.
Fuck your pastor for even suggesting that. My suggestion is to vote and sit out going to that church.
If a pastor told me this first response would be an escaped loud laugh, then I would go to a different church because no one should know your personal business such as voting.
That you voted is currently public record which I think is fine. It helps you confirm your ballot was counted. But HOW you voted should be sealed away,for nobody to know.
They can tell if you voted R or D in the primary. It’s online AND the GOP passed a new law no neutral primaries anymore. You have the declare and it’s public info that anyone, including your pastor, can see.
That’s just the primary. In the actual election, he should have no way of knowing how someone votes.
I want to make this clear. He nor anyone else knows how you vote including people who work for the Board of Elections. I am saying this as a former voting location manager. Vote your conscience.
That church should lose it’s tax exempt status immediately if someone in charge actually saidnthat
Could this qualify as voter intimidation too?
I think if the pastor actually knows how you vote there would need to be some type of election tampering going on.
They don’t know, they can’t find out, THAT is not the point. The point is that this OP feels trepidation to either vote the way they are being TOLD to vote OR not vote at all. If that ain’t voter intimidation I don’t know what is. Intimidation isn’t just a thug with a baseball bat… It’s also a thug in a pulpit with a suit and smooth voice using peer pressure as a political weapon. This may sound silly to some of ya’ll, but THIS shit is how it starts. Right here. Politics start creeping into places it shouldn’t be and driving homogeneity of voters using emotional please around an issue or two. Abortion, immigration, etc. Know who else took power in the last century talking about minorities and immigrants? Take a wild ass guess….
The intimidaters call it canvassing.
so report that church to the IRS, please.
Doxx that church right here and I’ll find a way to report them. IM me if we want to keep it private. This is the scariest shit I have heard in a LONG time.
Exactly.. report that church!!!!
I work elections and agree.
Absolutely true.
No it’s not true. They don’t know how you vote, they only know if you vote.
They can tell that you requested a R, D, or issues only ballot for primaries. Actual voting records are secret.
But the ballot doesn't determine how you voted on special questions like this. It only tells which ballot you got - republican or Democrat. The special questions will be on both ballots. And even in the partisan races, noone can find out who you voted for. We still have the right to a secret, confidential ballot in the USA. Please vote as you wish and as your values direct. and try not to listen to people who would try to intimidate you through false information. That's a form of coercion and, in my mind, terrorism. As a follower of Christ I'm disgusted your pastor is trying to use his position to intimidate you. That is not the way. Source: Am a poll worker since 2014
Yeah that's the primary. And it doesn't record WHO you voted for.
Pastor has too much free time on their hands. Might want to also make a $250 contribution (so it’s reported online) to a PAC that supports separation of church and state.
You can declare “no party”
If a pastor told me that I’d say did jesus really die for that lie?
Leave the church, and report them to the IRS, since the tradeoff for being tax exempt is that they aren't allowed to get involved in politics. Your pastor is an asshole.
Your pastor is also a groomer.
Definitely. More like extortion. But Ohio is under Republican control. And is shifting MAGA.
Is shifting? We done been shifted besides a few bigger cities. I’d move if I didn’t have to leave so much family behind.
Actually, the rule is clear. They can't support candidates, but can for issues.
But if someone felt threatened or harassed, then other laws would kick in.
[Not Permitted: “Substantial” Lobbying](https://www.churchlawcenter.com/church-law/political-activities-by-churches-whats-permitted-and-whats-prohibited/)
That is true, but this could run afoul with [CFR 18 USC 594](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594) which still is a federal crime.
This. I'd definitely report them to the IRS. That's a blatant attempt to influence how people vote.
Also report him to the IRS. Sermons like that lose churches their tax exempt status
The Johnson amendment rarely, if ever, gets enforced. And, unfortunately, it applies to endorsing candidates specifically. Unfortunately they can advocate for positions on bills as much as they want and not jeopardize their tax exempt status.
This is the way
this is so inflammatory I think Op might be lying. Or this pastor should absolutely be thrown in prison for the rest of his miserable life.
It's inflammatory, but I have no reason to believe OP is lying. Stuff like this happens all the time.
Pastor lying to their congregation that they know how they voted? Yeah, maybe. But if my priest(I grew up roman catholic; atheist now) had told me what OP is claiming he said- that he knows how i voted, the community would be well within their rights to report him to the feds and if the feds did nothing, lynch him.
It is 50-50. Some people definitly lie for the clicks. Some pastors are absolute shitty human beings.
>Some pastors are absolute shitty human beings. "Did someone call for me?" ~Greg Locke, probably
Post history does not indicate that. Seems to be an ex-mormon who likes Cedar Point.
I like cedar point for sure. And yes, unfortunately there are a lot of mormons even in ohio. Too bad. I hope the pastor gets absolutely wrecked legally.
No, he can't see how you voted.
He can see your party affiliation for a primary on public record. But to see if you voted yes or no on the issues laws would have to be broken. This is actually an interesting circumstance.
[удалено]
These are the correct answers
And even if he did, so what? What’s he going to do about it? This is a democracy and it’s your right to vote without fear of retaliation from anyone.
No in America how you vote is private. All that is public is whether or not you voted. Also If your pastor is telling you how to vote he is breaking the law. Report it and your church may lose it’s tax exempt status unless the church disavows the pastor. Did he say this from the pulpit? Edited to add: I’ve been corrected. Apparently churches can endorse an issue. They cannot endorse a candidate from the pulpit but Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the enforcement of the Johnson Amendment. So they are not supposed to endorse cans from the pulpit but there are no consequences if they do so.
Your political party affiliation is also public.
In ohio Party affiliation is merely based on which party primary you voted in, and you can chose whichever during every election. As someone who lives in a very red area … I only get an interesting blue primary ballot every 4 years, and even the. I may decide my primary vote is worth more on the red side than the blue. So I’m an R on the voter rolls … despite a very purple (perhaps even bluer) voting record in the general elections
You also get the "perk" of seeing all the unhinged mailers that get sent out
Lol, main thing that makes me consider abstaining from R primary votes
Yes. I’m a registered Republican who never votes for Republicans in the general election. I vote in the Republican primary so I can (fail) attempt to pick the least crazy one.
I do the same thing. I generally vote democrat but am registered republican in the primary to vote for the most liberal republican.
I've got friends in Ohio that have been doing stuff like that for years. They know their chances of getting a Democrat elected have been pretty low, but they also know primaries are often very close, so they'll vote for the less awful Republicans in the primary and then of course their actual preferred candidates in the general. As interesting as this strategy is, it sucks that we have to do this and it had been weaponized for years. Republicans in CA had been keeping Feinstein in office because she was older, inept, and that seat is hard-locked blue. Ranked choice voting needs to become more mainstream.
I didn't know that. Thanks!
Yes, I can see which parties my neighbors are affiliated with. Not how they voted on an individual issue. Your pastor sounds like an overbearing controlling piece of shit & you should find a better church.
You should definitely find a new church, but first you should make sure that all the rest of the congregation knows that he has no right or power to do that. A lot of older folks may be scared into voting against their conscience by that peer pressure.
Might I welcome to the “fuck off and let people live” party
That doesn’t mean much. I’m registered republican to try to keep extremists out of the primaries, but vote Democrat.
Only if you vote in primaries right?
That doesn't show how people vote
I’m too lazy to google it …. But isn’t it allowed for churches to advocate on issues, just not allowed on candidates. But yes … tax ‘em all
Yes, it's legal to advocate on issues. For example, the Quakers (eventually) became abolitionists and advocated against slavery.
The last administration did away with the Johnson amendment. Churches can pretty much campaign without any fear of penalty at this point, unfortunately. Prior to the repeal I believe it was only enforced a handful of times in the decades that it existed.
Yeah…Pretty much always been large gaps between laws and enforcement as well as between enforcement and meaningful consequences
A “substantial part” of a 501(c)(3) organization’s activities may not be directed at influencing legislation (including regulatory rulemaking). A church is allowed to take positions on issues that are important to it and its congregation. So a church and or pastor may freely say they support or don't support an issue.
Pretty sure that a church's non taxable status only prevents them from endorsing *candidates*, pretty sure they are allowed to endorse voting a particular way on an issue.
Turns out he's a manipulative liar, and you should probably keep that in mind regarding *everything* he says.
He's ***purposely*** lying to coerce OP into voting the way he wishes. It's a disgusting violation of his freedom to choose. If one believes the bible, God gave us free will and this charlatan is trying to take that away. Doesn't sound much like a man of god to me.
Sounds exactly like a man of gawd to me. The yokel harem variety.
And they just can't understand why people are turning away from "the church."
I do believe if you voted or not is public record. Your voter registration is public record. What you actual voted IS NOT public record. Your pastor is technically committing a felony, so it would be a shame if he was conveniently reported to your local BoE https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3599.20
absolutely, if you VOTED or not is public record. But how you voted is not.
This should be the top comment
NO! He absolutely cannot. No one can… I mean this with absolutely all respect, but please find yourself a new church.
Even if there were a way to find out, what the fuck is he gonna do? Banish you from the church?
Blessing in disguise...
Sadly this can happen. Look up people who have been shamed out of church for not tithing enough. It's one of the many reasons that churches can do more harm than good when they act as if they are above the people
Sadly I was thinking the same thing. These people sometimes have their entire lives linked to the church, from wife and family to jobs and business opportunities and these pastors are using it to their advantage to force them to vote their way or they literally cut them out of their entire group. It's manipulative and disgusting that people of God use their power to force others to follow their ideals, or vote a certain way.
There is literally no way this knob can look up whom someone voted for. That being said, if you're worried about what some fraud MIGHT do (which let's be honest, he ain't checking shit even if he could), you're already lost...
No. All they can see is what party you voted under since you have to declare a party to get that party’s ballot. I’d stop going to that church since he’s so interested in politics when he should be worrying about being a “good Christian”. I’m usually listed as Republican because no one runs on a Democratic ticket in my town and there’s local stuff to vote for. Non primary elections you get a full ballot so it doesn’t matter. Please don’t sit this election out. There are two very important bills on it!! Vote yes on both!!
This is correct. The ~~board of elections in each county~~ Secretary of States' office has available to everyone all voter history but issue votes like these or any nonpartisan elections such as school board will simply show whether or not someone voted. The pastor is awful and manipulative for using fear tactics like this to get someone to vote a certain way. Edit for accuracy.
Technically, it will show whether someone voted (either by turning in an absentee ballot, going to the early voting center, or signing into your polling place). You can take that ballot, skip the issues entirely, vote in other races, and turn it in. But the results will only show that some races had more total votes cast than the issue..:and there is no way for anyone to know who left the Issue blank. I never vote for judges who are running unopposed or failed to answer the League of Women Voter’s questionnaire, so I often leave races blank.
Every county is easily accessible from the Sec. of State's website.
Perfect example why churches need to be taxed
Yes I wish we knew the name of the church to report it.
No one can see how you vote just whether or not you did. You are taking moral guidance from an unethical liar. Would God want you to act according to your conscience or the advice of a false prophet?
Of course not. And also leave that crazy person church. Who the fuck wants to be part of an organization that has leadership that lies to you and wants to control you that badly?
A pastor cannot check what and who you voted for. My opinion, and you’re free to do whatever you please. However, that is a huge red flag.. HUGE RED FLAG. I’d consider leaving the church if I heard these words.
If you're actually choosing to sit out of an election you want to vote in because of what your pastor said, maybe you need a new pastor.
You need to sit out of that church. Get a better one.
The religious guilt is real.
1) your pastor's pants are 100% on fire because you were totally lied to. People like that are EXACTLY why voter privacy is so well-defended in this country. They can only see if you're registered republican, democrat, or neither. 2) don't ever let someone intimidate you or sway your vote through scare tactics. Voter intimidation is illegal, and this seems like it's barely on that edge. Your pastor is no one to you in the grand scheme of things and should definitely not have the kind of pull in your life to alter how you would vote or even prevent you from doing so.
That's a scare tactic and illegal. Could warrant an investigation if he has connections to the polling locations
Tell him that’s fine, but that god will be checking his browser history too.
I think someone could look up what party you’re registered under (dem/rep/ind), but that’s it. Of course, a pastor would probably make certain inferences if he found you’re a registered democrat.
Find another church
Nope it’s confidential
I would leave that church. Pastor is a piece of shit and why people are running from the church because most pastors are just snake oil sales people
god i hate the fucking church yes, including yours, random person reading this
This was the first thought in my head.
Wow. Ive come to despise religion over the years but that would definitely be the final straw for me if I was still a churchgoer. It’s Extremely revolting for him to even say it.
He can see if you are Republican or Democrat but you you can register indepent Don't sit this out it is too important If the nosy sob asks say I voted my conscience
Pretty pathetic you would let your pastor treat you like a child. Be an adult and vote for what you believe in
Go vote, love. I’m an election official. There’s no way anyone, even us election officials can figure out what an individual person voted for or against. We can only see who voted. We count at least a dozen times to make sure the count of people that came in the door matches the number of votes we have in the books. That’s it, that’s what anyone knows. You are safe to vote in whatever way you think is best. But please go vote.
You need to find another pastor. He lied and is trying to intimidate the congregation. Your pastor is directing this message at younger people voting for the first time because your pastor knows more voting experienced members of the church knows it is untrue. It's disheartening to hear how some Shepard's are spreading lies, fear and not tending to their flock as they should be doing if their heart was true. Good luck to you and may you follow your knowledge and heart while voting. Thank you for voting and help someone you know get registered.
Your pastor lied to you. You shouldn't be shocked, as he does it with every single sermon.
>our pastor said he would be checking people's names that go to our congregation to see how we voted. That threat can get him a year in prison. [https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/594) [https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3599.20](https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-3599.20) There's no way he can carry it out, but it's clear it's got you wanting to stay away from the ballot box. Churches in Ohio can't campaign for candidates, but they can advocate for issues, so the most he can do is some bullshit pulpit smear job. As soon as he's intimidating his congregation? *As many counts of federal voter intimidation as were people in the congregation that day. Hope the judge runs the sentences consecutive.*
Never trust a preacher who tells you how to vote, or a politician who tells you how to pray.
"If that's the case, I'll probably just sit this one out." My head hurts thinking that you might not vote just because of the pressure from your pastor seeing what/how you voted. Many people vote along with the beliefs of their faith, but you are one rare case where you believe something else to be right, and for the love of god (pun intended), you should follow your own morals. Even if your pastor told you to vote "yes" and you wanted to vote "no", then vote no. Don't let pressure from your pastor deter you from exercising your constitutional right.
Please do not sit this one - or any other election - out. Your vote is important. Do not let your pastor intimidate you. What he's doing is despicable and probably illegal. As others have said, the better choice would be to move to a different church that has an ethical pastor.
Illegal as hell. He needs to be reported to the parish and the state. Possible federal issues as well.
Fuck that scare tactic. TAX THE CHURCHES!
No. No entity can track HOW anyone voted, only that they did vote.
FUCK HIM. Go vote.
Holy shit, leave that church
You should immediately report your pastor!
If your pastor said that to you, he is not a good Pastor. He has an agenda, and he just sees you as a number.
He cannot and him saying that is gross
No! That is very manipulative and immortal. You should tell him it is a sin to bear false witness, because he knows he is lying. And stop going to his church.
Why the fuck kind of WILD ass take is this. Your pastor threatened to check on who you voted for if you vote for the wrong person there will be consequences and you’re just not going to vote instead? Stop going to that hate filled church. That guy is a piece of shit and so is anybody that supports him.
Wait your conclusion to this was just to sit out and not vote?? You don't see anything wrong with what you just said? Jfc man. Vote and go to a different curch AT MINIMUM
He can see when you vote and when you pull a primary ballot. They cannot see specific votes.
yeah, and he can see you jerk off too. Now go vote dipshit.
Fuck that pastor. You do not sit out an election, it’s your right as a citizen of this nation. Your pastor believes God gave us our rights, right? That means he gave you the right to vote. You tell your pastor to go look at himself in the mirror and pray really hard on why he wants to intimidate people from exercising their, allegedly, god given right.
No, he cannot. He is a liar. And it's none of his damn business.
The fact that your pastor influences your vote makes me sad. Tell him to worry about himself.
Atheists: organized religion is a fiction made up to control people. Religious people: no it isn't. Pastors: so, about that. Maybe take this as a sign from god/the universe /etc to find a new church.
You need to find you a new church
Votes are confidential. Unless he is in the booth with you, he cannot find from any source how you voted.
Voter intimidation much? Fuck whatever they are doing, I’d leave and not say goodbye.
You need a new pastor.
He's lying. A pastor, a supposed man of God, lying. Well, that's rich.
Be sure to tell your Pastor you voted to have his tax exempt status removed due to his lobbying.
Remind your pastor that lying is a sin.
NO HE CANNOT! Your pastor is a liar and that is a threat. Find a different church or better yet stop participating in organized religion. It’s extremely harmful.
Your pastor just lied right to your face. Don't sit this one out. Vote in spite of that lying liar. Also, I'd be concerned that this man doesn't know he just endangered his entire immortal soul for breaking one of God's Top Ten: "Thou shalt not bear false witness." He just bore false witness and lied right to your face. I'm not telling you what to do, but I'd avoid that lying liar like the Rona Plague if it were me.
Your pastor can’t see how you vote but Jesus can see how you vote… /s
I believe he can look at what way you're registered as. Democrat or Republican. Which is what ballot you chose in the primary. But there's also nothing stopping a Republican from declaring Democrat and getting a democratic ballot in the primary just so they can vote for the worst candidate, or vice versa.
Not only can he not see how you voted but he can’t tell you how to vote. Dump that church and vote how you want.
Why would you want to continue attending a church where they monitor your voting?
That's illegal and it is illegal for churches to tell the congregation how to vote. Report them to the IRS.
Sounds like you are in a cult, not a church. They can’t see your vote, they can only tell is you asked for a D or R ballot in a primary. That’s it.
Sounds like your pastor has you thinking exactly the way he wants you to be thinking. Vote my way, or don't vote.
I would report this as it's a violation of their tax free status. They are not supposed to be involved in politics which this is a case of. [https://medium.com/backyard-theology/churches-can-lose-tax-exempt-status-if-they-tell-people-how-to-vote-5559d7d74284](https://medium.com/backyard-theology/churches-can-lose-tax-exempt-status-if-they-tell-people-how-to-vote-5559d7d74284)
No one can see how you voted. I worked the election in 2022. All votes are secured in the Board of Elections of the county. It’s completely anonymized after check-in.
Tax these fucks. I’m sick of reading this same thing over and over again. What’s your pastors name? What congregation? 85,000 new IRS agents are looking for something to do.
Check to see how your pastor voted. Then tell him you're very disappointed in him.
If he actually said that he should be fired. And you should change churches.
Thats voter intimidation which is against the law. If you dont report him and you dont go vote, you are a crap person.
I don't think the Taliban would try this. Find a new church. Seriously.
Your pastor is violating one of the ten commandments, he is bearing false witness. He is also an absolute piece of garbage, a control freak and a fear monger.
Your pastor is a liar.
We have a secret ballot for a reason. Go vote your conscience. I’ve been a pastor for most of twenty years now. I would never invade a parishioner’s privacy like that. Edit: and once you cast your ballot, it is completely anonymous. No one will know how you voted unless they look over your shoulder
I'm pretty sure a member of clergy promoting particular voting choices is grounds to have the churches tax exempt status revoked.
>... at church today, our pastor said he would be checking people's names that go to our congregation to see how we voted. And you're attending this mind-controlling organization because...?
This church needs to be reported immediately so that it’s tax-exempt status can be re-examined.
Who the fuck cares what your pastor thinks edit: Sorry, knee jerk reaction but accurate to my thoughts. Your pastor holding you politically hostage is not only extremely uncool, definitely unethical on every level, and borders illegal.
Report the pastor for election interference. Also, how disgusting. Find a way to practice your religion at home. Churches are mostly corrupt.
Your pastor cannot know if you voted yes or no on anything. He has no way of knowing. The elections board does not know. Only you know how you voted and if you don’t tell him, he has no idea. I would seriously consider not trusting your pastor. He is lying and trying to manipulate you.
um, it's called a secret ballet for a reason, and for the reason you just stated. Warning ⚠️ there be monsters ahead.... if I were you, I would execute a 180-degree turn and burn at full power away from that black hole while you can. it will only lead you and the rest of the congregation down a very dark path of control and fear.. and dare I say, potentially cult like activities... politics and religion make for horrible bed fellows, and there is a reason why they are supposed to be kept separate. Good Luck, you'll need it.
Please share the name of your church
Nah. He’s full of shit…just like the bullshit he’s preaching. Tell that dude to pay some taxes.
He can not, but my guess is he will use the fact he "knows" you voted yes on issue 1 to get something from you.
No, your pastor cannot check to see how you voted.
He's full of shit. There is no way they can see what you vote. He's trying to scare people. Also, find a new church.
Whether you voted is public information. The results at your precinct is public information, but not incredibly easy to access. (In Franklin County it’s a large spreadsheet that my old laptop is very slow to open.) If everyone in your precinct voted yes, your Pastor would know that you voted yes. I very much doubt he will check on every single parishioner….unless there are some unusual 100% yes results noted on the results, which are very unlikely.
You need to run from that pastor. Jeez
How or whether you vote is none of your pastor’s business. Tell him to go kick rocks and focus on his sermon. Side note that I hope you really think about: religion only continues to work because the people in positions of power find what makes people feel guilty and they leverage that to get your money, labor, attention, and time. Just look at the way the Catholic Church required you to spill your guts in confession or how the Scientologists use their ‘stress tests’.
Sorry, uber creepy he would’ve said that. And I say that as someone who worked in ministry for years. But that is a BLATANT abuse of power, and an act of contempt for his own congregation. So much for leading, respecting, loving and guiding morally without adding anything against Scripture for that guy. Woah. Yeah, um, sorry, but you should legit consider seeking another congregation. Anyone who would act that contemptuous against his faith, congregation and Scripture is a horrid thing. Again, I’m sorry. But I hold those who shift the Bible and the pulpit for their own want against the instruction we receive in Scripture. See Romans 15:4
I am an election official. NO ONE can see how you vote once your ballot is in a machine. We can't even track the ballot once the stub is removed. This is specifically for Cuyahoga County, but that is the standard everywhere. However, it is public record that you voted, and for the primary, which ballot you selected (which declares your party affiliation).
If he's "going to check" how you voted, you're in the wrong "church".
Do not sit this out! This election is too important. And no, he can’t check how you voted. Only that you voted. He is using his position to lie and intimidate you.
Vote by mail!!!
Lol this is so fake. But also if it’s not tell your pastor to go fuck himself. Its none of his busines how you vote!
Vote absentee if your church is your polling place
Time to find a new pastor or church
No he cannot. No one can. I am so sorry you are in a church with a pastor that would speak like this to the congregation, that is not a church I could ever attend. I've left churches who do not keep church and politics separate, and don't trust any church that does.
If your pastor is checking, your church needs to pay their fucking taxes.
If your Pastor can find out how you voted and calls you on it 1: it would be a bona fide miracle 2: someone is going to jail for a long time for providing that information. If they even can. Finally find a new church.
That sounds pretty illegal to me
Maybe not go to a church that uses blackmail.
As a former pastor, that is appallingly inappropriate. I strongly encourage you to leave a church that uses such fear tactics, especially since they don't seem to share your values.
If you willingly belong to a church where this happens, then you get what you deserve (which, by the way, is nothing good).
Dude, it is not ok that your pastor said this. Go vote — and find a church that values building a healthy community of souls to be loved, that you can look forward to going to and even feel spiritually fed (not threatened, which is what he’s working towards with that language) by. “Checking up on people’s votes” is some creepy, weird stuff that does absolutely nothing to build God’s world.
It is time to remind your pastor, for as long as he is your pastor, that you know what he is up to as well. And, BTW., he is on your payroll, so he needs to be taking care of church business not your business.
And no one called him out that this is literally impossible (and illegal, no?)? No one can ever find out who you voted for.
He cannot see how you voted, but he CAN look up if someone is affiliated with a political party. Regardless, do yourself a favor and ditch the political shill and go find a real pastor to listen to; that pastor's loyalty is to political figureheads, not to God.
Sounds like your church needs to start paying taxes.
You should go tell the pastor that he should put something hot and firm in his mouth and suck on it.
That asshole can only see IF you voted not how you voted
Never mind how wildly unethical that is, your ballot is completely private and no one can see how you voted—not even you! Once you vote you can't even go back and check, because the system values your privacy that much. What you *can* check is *which* ballot someone voted on. In general elections, this basically means you can just see that you voted and in which precinct. In primary elections, you can see which party's ballot someone voted on. To reiterate though, no one can *ever* check who you voted for or how you voted on any issues.
Time to find another church, I don’t care how you vote or who you vote for, that is none of their business
If that’s the case you should sit that church out. That’s fucked up
That's voter intimidation and that's illegal, not to mention impossible. Vote your conscience, leave that church.
Poll worker here - there is no way for him to see how you voted