Faith groups call voting ‘a responsibility for believers’

For many generations, Christians have been encouraged to participate in the political system despite the “Be in the world, but not of the world” scripture used by many to remain aloof. The Black church, especially, has been the center of prayer and protest, and of Jesus and justice.

The upcoming general election in this country — one tasked with “saving the soul of the country,” as President Joe Biden put it — demands the attention of everyone of good faith to make the country better in whatever way they see fit.

“Don’t complain, Vote” is among the many slogans on front lawns around the nation, along with those who profess the candidate of their choice. According to Voter Registration Sunday more than 15 million Christians are not registered to vote. 

So, organizations of varied faiths have aligned themselves to encourage participation by the myriad members of their combined groups.

For some, the message will be emphasized every Sunday through the Nov.5 presidential election.

“I’m preaching about lessons from the Daughters of Zelephedad (Numbers 27) when women’s rights and human rights were on the line,” says Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, regarding her Sept. 29 sermon at Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Gastonia, North Carolina. She says democracy and women’s rights are on the line for history’s sake. These women woke up, spoke up, got up, and acted upon their conditions. As a result, all the laws were changed to reflect rights for everyone,” she says.

” That’s what this Sunday is about, to do our one ‘Black job’ and go out and vote, to make a difference throughout the land.”

The website Vote Your Faith which facilitates registration, offers information, and a comprehensive tool kit that outlines how to sponsor a voter registration Sunday event at one’s house of worship.

In July, a coalition, Faiths United to Save Democracy began training volunteers to “provide a calming and moral presence for vulnerable voters at in-person polling sites,” according to their website. They did so mainly because the last election, vehemently protested by the Republican candidate for president, was the scene of potential voters being denied access to the polls and of perfectly safe voting places being called unsafe, not to mention the voter identification laws enacted since that election. 

“Increasingly violent rhetoric and events throughout the 2024 election has given voters credible concern about violence or intimidation at the polls,” according to the FUSD site. Trained poll chaplains and peacekeepers will be deployed to the most vulnerable polling places. At this point, targeted states are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin during early voting and on Election Day, Nov. 5.

“God intends for all creation to thrive. The current state of politics emphasizes the importance of protecting the vote for all people, especially for people of faith. It is crucial to ensure safe access to the polls in all communities,” said Rev. Moya Harris, director of Racial Justice at Sojourners.

“The involvement of poll chaplains and Peacekeepers is essential in actively safeguarding the vote in local communities. This is integral to our call as people of faith — to combat chaos with love and witness.”

In August, about 750 “first ladies,” mostly wives of pastors leading Black churches, convened online to talk about Harris and strategize ways to mobilize voters in their congregations and communities, according to a Religious News report.

Also, more than 16,000 people attended a “Win With the Black Church Kick-Off Organizing Call,” which fundraised for Black Church PAC, an organization that encourages individual Black church leaders to influence the outcome of national, state and local elections.

In the two calls, both sponsored by the Black Church PAC, the primary goal was to secure votes for Harris. Substantial time was devoted to discussing policies embraced by the Biden-Harris administration that oppose Republican proposals, including Project 2025, a series of conservative proposals that some worry will form the foundation of a potential second Trump administration.

“We’re getting behind her, not just because she’ll be the first African American woman or first woman to be president in the United States, but she’s the best candidate to be president of the United States, and she can lead, and she’ll lead with authority and strength and with intelligence and integrity,” said Shawna Watley, the co-host of the First Ladies of Faith United for Kamala Harris National Organizing Call.

“And she’s a woman of faith, which is important to many of us.”