Elections can be divisive battlegrounds that seem to pit Americans against each other. The 2026 midterm elections bring specific challenges, threats, and concerns. Elections can also be arenas for positive pluralism, mobilizing diverse Americans to come together across difference and contribute to healthy democracy.
Interfaith America (IA) updated and re-launched the Faith in Elections Playbook, available in English and Spanish, to equip civic organizations and communities of faith and conscience leaders with accessible, actionable resources for helping their communities participate in and support elections.
A recent virtual panel discussion hosted by IA illuminated the 2026 elections context and how we can respond. The panel discussion included Harman Singh (Executive Director, Sikh Coalition), Ray B. Shackelford (Vice President of Equitable Justice, National Urban League), and Ria Chakrabarty (Senior Policy Director, Hindus for Human Rights). IA Director for Democracy Initiatives Scott Rasmussen and IA Senior Director of Civic Strategies Chris Crawford contributed and moderated.
The Context
Elections by nature are polarizing. “We are literally choosing winners and losers,” Scott Rasmussen said. The 2026 midterm elections bring threats and challenges that can further increase polarization, tension, and voter disenfranchisement.
Chris Crawford outlined these concerns, while cautioning that though we want to be ready to address elections challenges, we also don’t want to create unnecessary fear that reduces voter engagement.
“Ultimately, we want to be vigilant and address these challenges and do it in a way that’s empowering people and giving them agency rather than leading with fear.”
– Chris Crawford, Senior Director of Civic Strategies at Interfaith America
Crawford mentioned four key challenges in the 2026 midterms:
The threat of litigation, especially around Congressional maps. This can lead to “some of the facts of the election being up in the air,” which can create confusion, increase tension, and lead to voter disengagement.
Threats of violence or immigration enforcement at polling locations, which could “have an impact on voter turnout or voters feeling safe at the polls.”
Attempts to overturn the results by subverting election laws or refusing to seat duly elected members. A subverted election is a threat on its face and would be a failure of our system. Fears of election results being overturned can also create a sense that votes don’t matter, reducing voter turnout. Attempts to overturn results could also turn violent.
False information leading to apathy or disengagement. False information about violence, immigration enforcement, or the validity of the elections can instill fear and disenfranchisement, keeping voters from turning up at the polls. Intentional attempts to stoke fear can be overcome by providing information that empowers voters and equips them with what they need to vote safely.
Pluralism, Communities of Faith and Conscience, and Civic Society
While elections are divisive, they also provide an opportunity for diverse Americans to come together across difference and contribute to the shared interest of a healthy, functioning democracy.
“Because they are so charged with difference, elections are a wonderful opportunity to practice pluralism where we respect, relate and cooperate across our lines of difference for the common good.”
– Scott Rasmussen, Director of Democracy Initiatives at Interfaith America
Crawford continued, “One of the best ways that we can model pluralism is by joining together with people who might vote differently from us or have different politics from us and say, ‘let’s work together to spread accurate information about our elections, get involved, recruit poll workers, and do the things together that we need to ensure free and fair elections.’”
Civic society and faith groups have an outsized role to play in promoting constructive engagement with elections, mobilizing diverse Americans, and building pluralism. Civic and faith-based organizations hold credibility and influence with everyday citizens, law enforcement, and government officials. Faith-based organizations and communities have active constituents that already gather around common interests, providing opportunities for election engagement. “From a purely practical level, our engagement around voting begins at the Gurdwara, the Sikh house of worship,” Singh said.
Communities of faith and conscience are also driven by values that can promote civic engagement and pluralism. For Shackelford, elections and pluralism work are about “really leaning into the teachings of Jesus from a love perspective and bringing people together.” He continued, “in a time where there’s so much polarization and so much division across the country, faith is one of the things that can bring us together.” Chakrabarty also noted that “democracy is a deeply held Hindu value.” Singh added: “The thing that faith traditions provide uniquely for this issue of democracy and pluralism is answering the why — why these things matter.”
How to Respond
Interfaith America’s Faith in Elections Playbook provides actionable strategies in English and Spanish for communities of faith and conscience, civic organizations, and everyday people to promote pluralism and constructive engagement with elections. The playbook draws on the efforts of many organizations in the election space and is designed to amplify and multiply their impact.
The Playbook outlines five key strategies: (1) Addressing polarization and building connection in your community; (2) Sharing trustworthy information on where and how to vote; (3) Supporting voters to have a safe, positive voting experience; (4) Recruiting poll workers; and (5) Meeting election officials and building relationships.
“The best way to push back on some of the challenges in our election is to get involved and encourage other people to do so as well, especially people with whom you disagree.”
– Chris Crawford, Senior Director of Civic Strategies at Interfaith America
Across all five strategies, common themes have emerged from successful initiatives. These include:
Get folks involved and educated. When people interact with and learn about the election system, they feel empowered, they have more confidence in elections, they know where and how to vote, and they develop trusted sources to receive news on potential elections challenges or fears.
Start small. “If you can find the three people closest to you and give them accurate information and encourage them to do the same thing with the three people closest to them, that’s probably the most effective use of anyone’s time,” Singh said.
Build relationships early with law enforcement, election officials, and other community leaders and members, so that if crises come up, there are already relationships of trust that can be used to resolve or diffuse tensions, Crawford said.
Meet people where they are. This can be geographic, meaning going to community centers or houses of worship where people already gather. This can also be in terms of values, language, and culture. Shackelford spoke about a National Urban League event that connected a church community and local election officials. The event was family-friendly, fun, and had good food. Shackelford said, “A good way to get people in the room is to make sure they’re fed. And it’s also something that’s a part of faith when you think about breaking bread and fellowship.”
The Sikh Coalition addressed two challenges by meeting people where they are: they engaged senior citizens to contribute to healthy elections by writing Punjabi-language “Get Out the Vote” postcards that were mailed to potential Sikh voters.
Crawford closed with four simple suggestions for how to be involved:
- Get involved and encourage others to do so — especially people with whom you disagree.
- Affirm the process and the rules and ensure they are upheld.
- Work with election officials to learn about the specific needs in your community and how you can help.
- Be vigilant — but don’t scare people away from voting!
