Christian Post: Best and Worst States for Religious Liberty

Editor’s Note: The following news story was published by the Christian Post on July 23, 2024, and is authored by Ryan Foley, reporter for the Christian Post.

For the second year in a row, Illinois has ranked as the best state for religious liberty because it has the most safeguards in place, while a majority of other states continue to lack adequate protections for people of faith. 

The Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy at First Liberty Institute released its third annual Religious Liberty in the States report last week. The report ranks all 50 states based on the presence or absence of religious liberty safeguards. For the second year in a row, Illinois was ranked the best state for religious liberty, while West Virginia was ranked the worst. 

However, Illinois’ overall score of 81% marked a 4% drop from the 85% it received last year. While West Virginia received the lowest score among all 50 states, it saw its score nearly double from 14% last year to 24% this year. 

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Across the United States, the most commonly adopted religious liberty safeguard is exemptions to health insurance mandates. The following states do not have exemptions to immunization requirements: California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin lacking complete protections in this area. Only California, Connecticut, Maine, Mississippi, New York and West Virginia. 

All but eight states — Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina, Texas and West Virginia — allow absentee voting for religious reasons.

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Read the entire story at the Christian Post here.