“Research shows people don’t want to vote against something. With ballot measures, it’s also the conversations in congregations (asking) what kind of country do we want to live in and how their families live,” said Joy Cushman, national campaigns director for Faith in Action, the broad network of congregations formerly known as PICO National Network.

“People will turn out when they have something to vote for,” she told Catholic News Service.

This year among issues — either on the ballot or in the signature-collecting stage — are efforts to cap payday lending interest rates in Colorado, boost the minimum wage in Michigan and Massachusetts and restore voting rights for most Floridians with prior felony convictions after completing their sentence.

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