From Houston-In the beginning, North America was God's country. Throughout much of what later would become the United States, church and state were one. In Connecticut and Massachusetts, the church of choice was Congregational; in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, Anglican; Maryland, Anglican and Catholic.
It was not until December 1791 that the First Amendment of the newly enacted Bill of Rights - guaranteeing freedom of religion - swept away the cobwebs of state-sanctioned belief.
Today, the concept of separation of church and state is fundamental to the American way of life. Except on Election Day.
As Harris County voters Tuesday help select a new governor and other key officials in an unusually contentious mid-term election, many will cast their ballots at places of worship. Almost one-fifth of the county's 1,069 precincts vote in churches. And while election officials say they endeavor to ensure that such venues are neutral, recent studies suggest that even when overt political messages are absent, religious spaces can subtly affect voter choices.
More here-
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/houston/article/Despite-church-state-separation-voting-in-church-5869081.php
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