Posted on 08/27/2014 11:03:11 AM PDT by Morgana
A Florida Catholic parish's 45-year tradition of serving as a polling place for elections came to an end after Tuesday's primary after ongoing complaints by a handful of pro-abortion and pro-homosexual activists led church leaders to end their partnership with the Brevard County Board of Elections.
Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Indialantic, FL, has hosted about 5,000 voters from three precincts in a multi-use area of the building that is separate from the main church.
Florida Today reported that the trouble began in 2008, when the church displayed a message on its marquee urging parishioners to vote for the state’s marriage protection amendment, which defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman. In 2012, the church reportedly displayed a similar message in support of an amendment seeking to ban taxpayer funding for abortions.
Local Democratic activist Vicki Impoco complained that she was removed from Holy Name’s property for waving a pro-Obama sign on election day in both 2008 and 2012.
“In 2008, for weeks preceding the election and on Election Day, Holy Name of Jesus displayed explicitly political anti-gay messages on their huge marquee as voters entered the compound to vote on constitutional Amendment 2 banning same-sex marriage,” Impoco complained in a letter to the editor. “In 2012, for weeks preceding the election and on Election Day, Holy Name of Jesus displayed explicitly political anti-choice messages on their huge marquee as voters entered the compound to vote on constitutional Amendment 6, also known as the Florida Abortion Amendment.”
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Impoco was also upset by the presence of a black granite memorial to the unborn present on the property near the polling station, which she called “the permanent fetus monument.” The memorial reads: “All life is sacred...born and unborn...Respect Life."
Impoco worried that the presence of the pro-life memorial and the church’s public advocacy for life and family could sway some voters, giving the pro-life, pro-family cause an unfair advantage. “I'm not against God or religion, I'm just for fairness and following the law,” Impoco told Florida Today.
But Lori Scott, supervisor of elections for Brevard County, said that there were no legal issues with the church serving as a polling place – in fact, nearly half of Brevard’s 123 polling places are churches. She made clear that it was church officials who decided to bow out after the controversy, and that county officials would have been happy to allow them to keep serving as a polling station.
“It was [Holy Name’s] decision…I would not have moved it,” Scott told Florida Today. I rely on lots of organizations for polling places and churches are a big part of that. They are the only community centers in a lot of places.”
“It is always unfortunate to lose a long-standing community partner, especially between a primary and a general election," Scott added in an op-ed addressing the controversy. "Holy Name of Jesus has served the voters of Brevard County for 45 years. I thank church leaders for their generosity and their many years of dedicated service.”
LifeSiteNews reached out to both Holy Name of Jesus parish and the Diocese of Orlando for comment, but neither organization returned our phone calls or e-mails.
Good riddance to the lib scum.
Slimy scum.
Sleazy, slimy scum.
Democrat level sleazy slimy scum.
catholic, prolife and homosexualagenda ping
Personal opinion.
If you’re going to serve as a polling place, which is by definition supposed to be neutral, you shouldn’t at the same time be trying to influence the results of the election.
One or the other.
YMMV
The site of the crucifix caused them to burst into flames.
It's my guess that one or more supervisors in the city/town were, um, "missing theirs..." and decided to take the LOW road.
Woe to the Catholics who continue to vote for those who encourage the destruction of unborn lives, and who do not hold matrimony as a sacrament blessing the union of one man and one woman.
It probably made them very angry because it reminded them of their sinful cohabitation.
Woe to them is right.
You must have been listening to his morning's gospel:
WOE to you Pharisees.....
The tolerant left in action. They should move their new polling location to the ghetto.
I'm now election judge for our precinct which is hosted in a large Evangelical Church. Other than a pro-life poster (which ought to be considered non-partisan), our voters file past nothing of the sort. Guess which venue is the more gracious host.
Satan can’t stand the light.
Even though I live close by, I’m surprised by this.....not sure what the whole story is?
Many churches in our area are used for this very reason.....
.....the pastor at the little church where I vote is always so gracious
It’s lovely to go there.....so clean, well kept and hospitable.....and it’s the rec hall, not the sanctuary.
Is this yet another attempt to discredit churches, so we will lose our privilege to vote in them?
Because pandering for members trumps ideology in the religious world apparentely. Religion has nothing to do with it. The vatican is a political-business organization, who happen to practice religion on the side to attract followers. When the vatican starts actively recruiting for, and financing the next rounds of the crusades against muslim jihad, then they’ll have my attention. Until then, they just seem more interested in cashing in on the guilt and turn the other cheek markets. Honestly, it’s kind of hard to “love thy neighbor” when your neighbor want’s to cut off your head, and rape and enslave your wife and children, not to mention sexually molesting your livestock.
But yet Black Panthers, in full military uniforms and with clubs, are just swell to have outside polling stations
2Co 6:15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
2Co 6:16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
2Co 6:18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Does anyone in this country have any backbone?
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