Chaplains from different faith backgrounds serving at polls in several states on election day
More than 1,200 chaplains from various religious traditions will offer faith-based support to voters in Tuesday’s election. The volunteers, clergy and laypeople will work outside polling places in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Virginia, “The Christian Post” reported.
Chaplains take no political side and wear vests, badges or hats that identify them. The law requires them to keep a set distance from the voting site, and the rule differs by state. Some will stand 100 feet away, NPR reported.
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Jeanne Kiley, a secular Franciscan in North Carolina and who served as a Catholic poll peacekeeper in 2024, said she learned of the role through the Franciscan Action Network. She called that election serene and said she fears the midterm “might be a more hostile environment.”
Pastor Gabriel Salguero of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition told CBN News that many people feel anxious. The coalition has started its own program of poll chaplains and peacemakers that draws on local pastors. “We don’t work for the Democrats,” Salguero said. “We don’t work for the Republicans.”
The Rev. Katie Sexton, who heads the Arizona Faith Network, an interfaith group with no party ties, said the group trains volunteers to serve as poll chaplains or peacekeepers. Rabbi Shmuly Yanklowitz, founder of the group Arizona Jews for Justice, expects intimidation at some polls.
A Pew Research survey taken after Charlie Kirk was murdered found that 85 percent of Americans believe political violence is rising. Polling places have seen protests and intimidation in previous elections. Threats and harassment aimed at elected officials have reached historic highs. Two groups, the Wisconsin Council of Churches and the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign, have organized poll chaplains in the state since 2020.
Benny Witkovsky trains chaplains for the Bridging Divides Initiative, a research group that works to reduce political violence in the United States. He said election workers have had personal details posted online, and some clerks have received threats or sought restraining orders. Chaplains also can call legal hotlines directly to report intimidation or suppression of voters.
–Lee Hartman | Metro Voice
–Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash
