Washougal resident Anne Haller believes all citizens should be concerned about the growing trend of pastors giving explicit voting advice to their congregations

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are those of the author alone and do not reflect the editorial position of ClarkCountyToday.com

It’s time for politically active churches to lose their tax-exempt status.

All citizens should be concerned about the growing trend of pastors giving explicit voting advice to their congregations. This practice undermines the separation of church and state and is in direct conflict with their tax-exempt status.

The principle of separation of church and state is a cornerstone of our democracy, designed to ensure that religious institutions do not wield undue influence over political affairs. Pastors using their pulpits to recommend specific candidates or political parties, are blurring the line between religious guidance and political campaigning. This is unconstitutional and in direct violation of their tax-exempt status.

Religious organizations benefit from tax-exempt status under the condition that they refrain from participating in political campaigning. The IRS guidelines: are clear: tax-exempt organizations, cannot endorse or oppose political candidates. This misuse of their platform should lead to rejection of their tax-exempt status.

Pastor’s Pick is a national organization driving this effort. Local churches are distributing a complete list of recommended WA candidates to their congregations. If they want to do that, they should pay taxes like any other business. Let’s stop pretending that religious leaders don’t have a political agenda.

People look to their religious leaders for moral advice now they’re getting their ballot choices from them too. This is not what the founders of our country intended and it’s not what the church’s monies should be spent on unless they are willing to pay taxes to the city, county, state and country. Let’s keep church and state separate.

Anne Haller
Washougal

---

Also read:

• 
  POLL: Do the proposed changes to the Clark County Council’s Rules of Procedure suggest the council lacked authority in 2025?
  A new reader poll asks whether proposed changes to the Clark County Council’s Rules of Procedure indicate the council lacked clear authority during a 2025 board removal.
• 
  Letter: ‘HSD needs to give a detailed line-item accounting of where the last levy went, and of how they plan to use this one’
  Randall Schultz-Rathbun urges Hockinson School District to provide detailed, transparent accounting of past and proposed levy spending before asking voters for additional funds.
• 
  Letter: Interstate Bridge Replacement’s Park & Ride insanity
  Bob Ortblad criticizes the Interstate Bridge Replacement Program’s proposed Park & Ride garages, arguing the costs are excessive and unlikely to receive federal funding.
• 
  Opinion: Vancouver councilors responsible for stoking irrational fears in the community
  Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance sharply criticizes a Vancouver City Council declaration on immigration enforcement, arguing it fuels fear, undermines law enforcement, and lacks supporting evidence.
• 
  Opinion: Washington should stop shielding domestic abusers and sexual offenders from deportation
  Vancouver attorney Angus Lee argues Washington law improperly shields convicted domestic abusers, sexual offenders, and drunk drivers from deportation and urges lawmakers to change it.