"In this election year Church members are again reminded to exercise their right to study the issues and candidates, and then vote for those they believe will most nearly carry out their ideas of good government," the statement says. "While affirming its constitutional right of expression on political and social issues, the Church reaffirms its long-standing policy of neutrality and does not endorse candidates for political office. Church facilities and membership data are not to be used for political purposes."

The church has been active, however, in high-profile social issues. The IRS prohibition only affects advocacy on behalf of particular politicians or political causes.

In the 1970s, the church worked to defeat the Equal Rights Amendment, proposed to guarantee equal rights for women. The church's current president and prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, then an apostle in the church, advocated keeping the church's role covert, issuing a statement saying Mormon-led groups working to defeat the amendment "should not use LDS in title of organizations," D. Michael Quinn, a former BYU history professor and a specialist on Mormonism, wrote in a 2005 anthology on Utah politics.

In recent years, Mormon leaders have advocated for bans on gay marriage and fought efforts to expand gambling.

Prominent politicians who are Mormons include Senate minority leader Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, and Senator Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah.

James E. Faust, a member of the First Presidency, was asked at a commemoration event in March 2005 whether the country was ready to elect a Mormon president. He answered by pointing out that John F. Kennedy won in 1960 despite prevalent anti-Catholic sentiment at the time.

"But that day came," Faust said. "I expect that day will come for a Mormon."

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