The Arizona Catholic Conference (ACC) is the public policy arm of the Diocese of Phoenix, the Diocese of Tucson, the Diocese of Gallup, and the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix. The ACC is a non-partisan entity and does not endorse any candidates.

The ACC Voter’s Guide is meant solely to provide an important educational tool containing unbiased information on the upcoming elections. Pursuant to Internal Revenue Service requirements for churches and nonprofit organizations, this document does not endorse candidates or indicate our support or opposition to the questions.

Click here for a downloadable version of the Arizona Catholic Conference Voters Guide

Included on the ACC Voter’s Guide are races covering the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, Corporation Commission, State Senate and State House. It is important to remember that members of the State Senate and State House are elected by legislative district. Each legislative district includes one State Senator and two State Representatives. Find your legislative district here: http://azredistricting.org/districtlocator

All candidates in the aforementioned races were sent a survey and asked to respond with whether they Support (S) or Oppose (O) the given statements. The ACC Voter’s Guide lists every one of these candidates regardless of whether they returned a survey. Many candidates elaborated on their responses which are indicated by an asterisk and a hyperlink to a scanned document.

We would strongly encourage you to find out more information about those candidates who did not complete a questionnaire, as well as those who did. Contact information for each of these candidates can be found here: http://www.azsos.gov/election/2012/General/fulllisting.htm

1. Allowing parents to use tax credits, or empowerment scholarship accounts to enable children to attend any public, private, or home school.
2. Prohibiting embryonic stem cell research.
3. Legalizing physician-assisted suicide.
4. Excluding newborn children conceived while their mothers were receiving welfare from the calculation of the family’s welfare cash grant.
5. Requiring hospitals to check if their patients are citizens or in this country legally.
6. Amending the United States Constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
7. Providing abortion providers with government funding.
8. Establishing and maintaining a statewide public defender’s office to provide adequate legal representation to those facing the death penalty.
9. Making the presence of undocumented immigrants in Arizona a state crime.
10. Mandating healthcare providers to facilitate the distribution of “emergency contraception” (i.e., morning after pills).
11. Simplifying the existing tax credit for donations made to nonprofit charitable organizations serving the working poor so that people who do not itemize their taxes are eligible to participate.
12. Creating a temporary guest worker program for foreign workers to those Arizona employers experiencing a labor shortage.

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