Pastor Steve Wilburn stepped on stage before his congregation at Core Church Los Angeles on Oct. 18th, starting his sermon off by offering what he calls a “biblical voter guide.” He says that the conservative election guide is passed out for many reasons, Wilburn claims that half of the Christian population in California don’t vote, describing that trend as a tragedy.
“I still can’t believe that we’re allowing boys in girls’ sports here in California,” Wilburn says, linking his agitation with the state’s policies, as he describes the lack of voting.
Wilburn’s point moves into a broader effort, encouraging the congregation to “vote biblically,” he says. Core Church is seeking revival and believes that if Christians don’t vote, California won’t swing back into normalcy, as he calls it.
During his sermon, Wilburn defended the need for the guide while also acknowledging the confusing language of ballot measures.
“We’re not telling you, ‘you have to vote for this,’ but the propositions are worded to confuse you,” Wilburn says.
Core Church raised an open-ended question: when does voter education end, and voter coercion begins? The guide was published by Reform California, but it doesn’t just explain ballot measures, it also recommends candidates for public office and offers specific propositions, all with a conservative perspective.
The guide states, “you are doomed,” next to candidate names, and “DO NOT RETAIN,” next to propositions.
Photo of Core Church LA’s election voter guide. Photo by Samantha Macklin, taken on Nov. 3, 2026.
Core Church LA is a non-profit designated as 501(c)(3). Organizations with this designation are not required to submit tax filings because the IRS designates them as churches.
Under the Internal Revenue Code, according to the IRS website, “organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office.”
However, not all voter-related activities are prohibited – the IRS allows nonpartisan activities, like sharing information and hosting public forums. While they are allowed to encourage people to vote in elections, they are not allowed to support or oppose a candidate or party.
The California state voter guide, seen at voterguide.sos.ca.gov, is vastly different to the guide that was handed out.
Election Day took place Nov. 3rd; Core Church’s use of a partisan guide highlights the tension between religious advocacy and the legal boundaries of passing out voter guides as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.
It remains unclear to what extent similar guides have been distributed at other Los Angeles churches. For voters, the bigger question might be how to distinguish official election information from biased political recommendations delivered from the pulpit.
