Interfaith America | Protect Democracy
The Faith in Elections Playbook supports faith-based, civic and campus communities with accessible, actionable resources to support the 2024 election. This playbook is designed to make it easier for faith and community leaders to join work that is already happening across America to help the 2024 elections run smoothly, so that all eligible voters can access a ballot and every valid vote is counted. Our purpose in compiling and curating this information, is to enable organizations to focus on taking actions that best align with their interests, their skills, and the needs of their communities.
Our country is deeply divided. Healing will require coming together across differences and working to protect the rights of all Americans — even those with whom we disagree. Understanding our polarized environment and committing to overcome this challenge is key to supporting a free, fair, and peaceful 2024 election.
- There are few issues that showcase our country’s polarization as clearly as our elections. Lack of trust in the outcome of the 2020 presidential election led some to violence, and has pushed countless others into an “us versus them” mentality. Without action, the 2024 election could further tear our communities apart, representing an existential crisis for American democracy. As trust erodes and divisions deepen, it is harder to protect the values that hold our country together, such as religious pluralism.
- Religious freedom scholar Asma Uddin writes, “Our partisan affiliations have morphed into identities, and what’s more, the identities include a host of things that have nothing to do with social policy.” As a result, individual faith communities are increasingly divided, and different religions are pushed into political camps against one another rather than seeking shared values on issues such as religious liberty or help for people in need.
- Religious institutions can be a bulwark against polarization. People with diverse political beliefs, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds worship together in churches, synagogues, mosques, gurdwaras, and temples every day. Our collective faith communities must be able to live and serve together despite our different beliefs.
- There are three main ways that faith-based organizations and congregations can help to reduce polarization:
- Holding deep listening sessions and dialogue across differences within their own organizations and faith communities.
- Hosting interfaith conversations that bring people together across religious differences to identify shared values and a shared vision for improving their communities.
- Conducting acts of service (including the activities contained in the Playbook) as an interfaith coalition or alongside groups with differing political perspectives.
There is a genuine, foundational power in the building of relationships and establishing trust across diverse lines, so much so, that our individual development and community building efforts depend and rely upon these strong relationships. Indeed, they are the fabric that make American society thrive and flourish. Everything we do moves at the speed of trust and relationship.
- In addition to using Faith in Elections Playbook as a way to unite Americans, there are many organizations — both religious and secular — who have created resources on how you can work to reduce polarization.
- If you are interested in hosting deep listening conversations and dialogue across difference, the following links will be most helpful:
- Interfaith America’s Shared Values Dialogue Guide and “Skills for Bridging the Gap” Curriculum provide opportunities for deep listening.
- Living Room Conversations provides scripts and frameworks for dialogues across a variety of differences and on a multitude of topics, including elections.
- Constructive Dialogue Institute is a 501(c)(3) that provides lessons and online training on how to lead conversations where people with different perspectives try to understand each other — without giving up their own beliefs — in order to work together.
- Resetting the Table provides skilled facilitation, communication skill-building, and online training in opening up meaningful communication across differences on charged political issues.
- If you are interested in hosting conversations to help find common ground or common purpose, the following will be helpful:
- One America Movement’s work to combat toxic polarization.
- Braver Angels has multiple options for engagement, including their Trustworthy Elections Campaign, which will organize conversations in which citizens who are concerned with fraud, voter suppression, or both meet on equal terms in mixed groups to clarify differences and seek common ground.
- Millions of Conversations brings together groups of Americans to unite around common values and to discuss shared visions for the future.
- For specific resources for Christian leaders, we recommend the following:
- One America Movement’s Matthew 5:9 Fellowship, The Eilu v’Eilu Fellowship, and Faith Over Division.
- The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics. This curriculum “does the complex — but absolutely necessary — theological work of reframing Christian political identity from today’s divisive partisan options.”
- “Civilize it” is a campaign by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to promote civility in political engagement.
Faith leaders and religious organizations have a tremendous opportunity to make accurate information about our elections available to our community members. Voters need to know where and how to vote, which is not always easy to find. Information coming from trusted members of the community can go a long way to help voters navigate a potentially confusing situation.
- Misinformation, disinformation, and even just plain confusing information can serve as a barrier to voting.
- Misinformation is false or inaccurate information.
- Disinformation is false information which is deliberately intended to mislead.
- Americans in different areas of the country have different options on where and how to vote. Voting rules can change between elections, which makes it difficult for everyday people to keep track.
- Some voters — especially voters from historically marginalized groups — have been targeted and purposefully misled with false or intimidating information about voting. Faith-based organizations can counter this mis- and disinformation by connecting their members and audiences with accurate information about the voting process.
- Religious organizations are hubs of information and organizing within their specific communities. They provide clear information on upcoming events, holidays, and opportunities to both provide and receive help. This communication infrastructure can be used to provide accurate nonpartisan information on voting and elections.
- Organizations that serve historically marginalized communities have a particularly important role to play in providing correct information, as these communities have faced campaigns to suppress their votes in the past, including a campaign to convince Black voters not to vote in the 2020 election.
- One of the most important ways to ensure that your members have accurate information regarding voting is to share trustworthy information on your website and in communications. Be certain to link to your local or state election administration’s website for information instead of writing it on your website. This information may change over time.
- You can send election-related information to your organization or congregation multiple times during the leadup to the election to ensure that they have accurate information about how they can check their registration, vote, and even track their mail-in ballots.
- Some of the most helpful pieces of information for voters include:
- How to register to vote and check registration status.
- Options for voting, such as early voting, mail-in voting, or dropping off their ballot on Election Day.
- The dates, times, and locations for voting early and on Election Day.
- What types of identification may be required in your county and state.
- Checking the status of mail-in ballots that have been requested or the status of mail-in ballots that voters have returned.
- Where to call if you are having issues casting your vote.
- It is legal for houses of worship, denominational organizations, and other 501(c)(3) entities to provide information about voting.
- It is important that any shared information about voting does not privilege one candidate over another. Information on voting must not show bias toward any one candidate in the message that you send or with whom you choose to share it. All of your members should have the same access to this nonpartisan information.
- You can read more about how to ensure 501(c)3 compliance on the IRS website here.
- The nonpartisan US Vote Foundation website can help voters find contact information for their local election office.
- The National Association of Secretaries of State also has specific pages that connect voters to their state’s website dealing with the following topics:
- Vote.Org outlines important deadlines related to the election and allows you to sign up to get reminders of upcoming deadlines.
- The League of Women Voters has a checklist to Make Your Plan to Vote.
- You can share the following phone numbers for voters to call if they are having problems with voting:
- 1-866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
- 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (en Español)
- 1-888-API-VOTE (Asian multilingual assistance)
- 1-844-YALLA-US (Arabic)
- You can partner with organizations to promote voting, such as:
- National Voter Registration Day (partnership page here)
- Vote Early Day (partnership page here)
- If you are interested in learning how to counter misinformation or disinformation, some great resources include:
- Find a faith-based partner:
- Faiths United to Save Democracy has a comprehensive resource page with questions and answers related to voting.
Knowing your vote means knowing the logistics of voting, knowing what's on your ballot, knowing about the issues that matter to you, and knowing how to find reliable sources of information — and combat unreliable ones.
Election Day can be an opportunity to celebrate community and our freedoms as Americans. Faith leaders can contribute to a safe, positive voting experience in two ways: by providing food and water and by serving as a peaceful presence. People should feel safe and comfortable as they prepare to cast their ballot. With increased tensions and even threats of violence in the leadup to our elections, religious leaders, community leaders, and lay people can play a positive role at polling locations by being a welcoming presence for voters. Additionally, faith-based organizations can help make it easier for voters to wait in long lines by providing food and water as people wait.
Providing Food and Water
- During early voting and on Election Day, some polling locations face long lines. There are a number of reasons for this including voter enthusiasm, technical issues, inexperienced poll workers, and a lack of resources or polling locations.
- Especially in places with inclement weather, waiting in line can be an impediment for some. Bad experiences in long lines may cause some voters to have to step out of line during the election, which decreases their chances of choosing to vote in the next election. One study has shown increased turnout as a result of providing food and other outreach at polling locations.
- Voters may not think to bring water, a snack, and other items to keep themselves comfortable in case there is a long line at their polling location. In most states, volunteers are allowed to provide food and water at polling locations as long as they follow the regulations of the polling location.
- A multitude of faith traditions have some sort of scripture or other central belief around providing food for people who are hungry. Religious communities can take on the call to feed the hungry in a new way: providing food and water to people waiting in line to vote.
- Volunteers across the country are able to provide sustenance to people waiting in line, and there have been a number of innovative approaches that are streamlining the process:
- Pizza to the Polls has an app and online portal that allows people to report long lines at their polling locations. Once they verify the long lines, Pizza to the Polls orders pizza to be sent to that polling location.
When it comes to voting, the most important thing is keeping people in line. A simple bottle of water or snack can be what stops people from abandoning their right to vote…We know that voting is habit-forming, so a good experience at the polls is crucial to ensuring future participation.
- Check with your local election office to make sure that volunteers are allowed to provide food and/or water at the polls.
- Different precincts, counties, and states have different rules regarding providing food and water at polling locations. Check the rules in your county.
- If you want to help this effort but are unable to physically provide for your polling locations, you can become an official partner of Pizza to the Polls or fundraise to help them carry out their mission.
- Partnership opportunities include:
- Promoting @PizzatothePolls: Help spread the word by creating or sharing content across social media so people know they can report a line or promote a partnered event
- Feeding Hungry Folks: Donate snacks or beverages to be delivered to polling locations
- Raise Dough: Share their fundraising link with your supporters
- You can email [email protected] to explore a partnership.
- Partnership opportunities include:
- Here is a checklist to use as a guide for preparing to provide food and water at the polls.
- Be sure to check the Election Official Directory and contact your local elections office to find the rules about engaging in this activity.
‘It definitely made my voting experience better,’ says Vincent. ‘Our budget was tight before the pandemic and has definitely gotten worse since, so a free meal was a moment of extra happiness that day.’
Serving as a welcoming presence at a polling location
- While voting can be a celebration of exercising our rights and having a voice in building our free society, the environment at polling locations can be one of intensity and uncertainty.
- Increasingly, we have seen threats of violence against polling locations. During the leadup to the 2022 midterm elections, multiple federal agencies released a joint bulletin warning about potential violence at polling locations or against candidates.
- Elections can be a time of stress as people feel complicated emotions regarding their participation in the election, including the high stakes of casting their ballot.
- Faith leaders can provide a peaceful presence at the polls. As Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, leader of Faiths United to Save Democracy, told The Washington Post in 2022, “When you see a priest or a clergy or an imam or rabbi and they have their clergy garment on, for most people that is a symbol of some level of calm and peace.” By standing in the appropriate places and providing a positive, prayerful presence, faith leaders can add comfort to the experience of voting.
- Poll chaplains provide basic voter information, assist vulnerable voters, and provide a calming presence at polling locations.
- The opportunity to serve as a poll chaplain is open to clergy or religious leaders and lay leaders. While there is a welcoming presence in having faith leaders in their religious vestments at polling sites, partnering with civic organizations can expand the number of those trained to provide a peaceful presence at polling locations.
This is a natural extension for the care that we have for each other not only as clergy but for the greater community regardless of faith traditions…It just seemed a wise preventive kind of ministry to be involved in…I’m not there to care for one side or the other, but for every individual who has chosen to be a voter.
- The Bridging Divides Initiative has created a bystander and de-escalation training one-pager for community members and volunteers. They also have state-by-state guides that can help you learn about providing a peaceful presence in your state.
- Faiths United to Save Democracy is recruiting a multi-faith coalition of chaplains for polling locations. You can access their toolkit here.
- T’ruah specifically recruits rabbis as poll chaplains. You can find more information on their work here.
Our job was simple: welcome people, smile, and offer a sense of calm; respond to questions or incidents that arose; provide information on voting rights; keep an eye out for conflicts and help de-escalate any problems; and thank every voter for their participation... It was also neighborly and friendly. People nodded and greeted one another, cracked jokes, and laughed. They knew they might vote differently, but they would still need to live together, whatever the results.
Our elections face a historic staffing shortage. Without enough poll workers, long lines could make it harder to vote, polling locations might need to be closed, and longer vote-counting times could reduce trust in our elections. Filling this urgent need is an opportunity to build relationships across the community while helping to ensure that every eligible person can vote and every valid vote is counted.
- Our election system is made up of 117,000 polling locations across 3,000 counties. They require about a million poll workers to run smoothly.
- The average age of poll workers has increased over time, with a large share of poll workers over the age of 60. Many are retiring, leaving gaps in our election system that must be filled in order to avoid election crises. It’s time for a new generation of poll workers to join this effort.
- A recent survey found that 51% of election officials worry about retaining or recruiting enough election workers in future elections.
- There is an enormous need for bilingual poll workers to adequately serve the needs of some communities.
- Our elections depend on individuals from across the country and all political leanings serving their community by being trained as election workers. Some jurisdictions even require parity of poll workers from each major political party.
- Our elections are not run from Washington, D.C. or by political elites; they are run at the state and local level. They require participation of everyday Americans serving their local communities.
- Poll workers conduct tasks such as setting up and testing equipment, checking in voters, providing ballots, and scanning and counting the ballots. They go through legislatively-mandated training to ensure that they can carry out these functions.
Working alongside my fellow poll workers on Tuesday, I had a profoundly renewing experience of we, of being part of this unprecedented experiment in multicultural democracy. I say that my faith was renewed – and that is because in working together to make our democracy work, we lived out and renewed the covenant we share, the covenant that is expressed in the first words of the Constitution: We, the People. May we continue to talk, to listen, to disagree peaceably, to respect the outcome of free and fair elections, to live with — and be committed to living with — one another.
- During the election season, faith-based organizations can recruit nonpartisan poll workers to help our elections run smoothly so that every valid vote is counted in an accurate, efficient manner.
- Poll working is one way that people who live in proximity can spend time with their neighbors and build community.
- Employers can update their employee handbooks to provide paid time off for their staff to work at the polls.
- Organizations can recruit poll workers from their staff, board, membership, or congregation. Multiple organizations can team up to create a competition for recruiting the most poll workers!
- Because of the decentralized nature of our elections, your local county will have specific rules related to working at the polls. Check with your local county for up-to-date information and requirements.
- When recruiting poll workers, you should keep in mind the following details:
- The total time commitment including training, the days required for service, and the time necessary to serve on each day of voting. Poll workers are often asked to work either half-day shifts or the full day of Election Day and specific days during early voting.
- Deadlines for signing up. Be sure to check with your county so that your organization can sign up individuals on time.
- How much poll workers are paid in your community.
- In most counties, poll workers are paid for their service. Individuals who are out of work or otherwise in financial need can serve as poll workers as a way to earn money, as well as a way to build their resumé as they seek more long-term work opportunities. There are also many programs for high school students to receive school credit for this work.
I've written about the pro-democracy faith movement and worked with religious leaders to resist authoritarianism, but it's an extra special experience to see democracy up close as a poll worker. I volunteered on Election Day 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky, and was amazed at the community coming together to make democracy happen. I took election processes for granted, but now I understand what a tough and important role poll workers play. Making the promise of democracy real requires neighbors to help neighbors, and my Christian faith teaches me that loving my neighbors is tantamount to following Christ.
- An email template for congregations to recruit poll workers
- An email template for networks to recruit poll workers
- Poll Worker Preparedness Checklist from the Election Assistance Commission
- US Election Assistance Commission state-by-state guide for poll workers [Note that this link contains information from the 2020 election and will be updated for 2024 when guidance is available.]
- You can use this link Power the Polls link to share with your organization and members so that they can sign up. Individuals who sign up using this link will receive an email from their local election office that outlines the requirements for training and serving as a poll worker. They will also receive follow up emails and reminders from Interfaith America.
- If you want to create an official partnership between your organization and Power the Polls, you can do so at this link. By partnering directly with Power the Polls, your organization will receive additional specific toolkits, emails about the specific needs in our election system throughout the year, and helpful information on how you can make your poll worker recruitment effort as successful as possible.
A lack of polling locations can suppress turnout and decrease trust in the process. Faith-based organizations have served our democracy for decades by providing their own spaces and by working in their communities to find secular spaces where people can vote. Religious institutions currently play a major role in our voting infrastructure. Over 12,000 houses of worship across America open their doors to voters, representing roughly 20% of all polling locations. In Oklahoma and Arkansas, churches are the majority of polling locations.
Even with this commitment from faith-based organizations and the work of local election officials, Some areas still have voting deserts. These can decrease voting access and diminish trust in elections. An insufficient number of polling locations can make it difficult for rural voters and those without access to a vehicle or public transportation to vote. Marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted.
- A 2022 study found that due to the Shelby v. Holder decision, in the 13 states that were previously required to disclose any changes to voting districts or election administration, 1,688 polling locations were closed between 2012 and 2018.
- Some of these closures have been balanced out by an increase in countywide polling locations, generally known as vote centers. These are more centralized locations where large groups of voters from various precincts can vote. However, an increase in countywide polling locations harms some.
- Studies have shown that trading local polling locations for larger vote centers “could make it harder for some groups of voters to get to the polls and lower the likelihood that they will cast ballots.”
- Native Americans who live on tribal land often have few polling locations, which dramatically decreases their access to polls.
- The problem of inadequate polling locations is particularly challenging for poorer, rural counties that lack major community centers, professional sports stadiums, and other spaces that are large enough to accommodate voting.
- There are often not enough polling locations near college campuses.
- Religious structures can be well-suited to serve as polling locations because they are often large hubs for community activities, and many meet the requirements of the Americans with Disability Act and the Help America Vote Act.
- Religious houses of worship are deeply embedded in their communities and can find suitable public or secular spaces that can adequately serve as a polling location, including community centers, schools, sports complexes, and other compliant institutions.
- In addition to providing for a specific need in the community, even the act of offering space can let election officials know that there are additional polling location options should the need arise.
- Spaces near a college campus are especially useful as a polling location to serve the full community. The Andrew Goodman Foundation and Campus Vote Project work on this issue.
..in 2019, the County Clerk [in Houston, Texas] was able to designate the community center in the Islamic Institute & Houston Blue Mosque as an official polling location. This opened up new opportunities for Muslims to get involved and build relationships with local community Officials.
- Before determining whether this is something to pursue:
- Make certain that your organization can meet the requirements and that you can comfortably, fully commit to all that this entails. Remember that you will likely have thousands of people making their way through your space, many of whom do not share your religious identity.
- Consider whether there are logistical or security concerns.
- Be sure that you can meet the full time commitment that is required, including early voting in certain counties. These dates may fall on religious holidays or other times in which your space will be unavailable to the public.
- Then, call your local election officials and determine whether more polling locations are needed in your area.
- Talk to voters in your area about whether they think more polling locations are needed, and advocate with your Secretary of State or county officials to add more polling locations. Offer to work with them to find adequate locations.
- In many counties, institutions that host polling locations are compensated for the use of their space.
- In some cases, faith institutions serving as polling locations can help to build cohesion and trust between the house of worship and its neighborhood. In other cases, such as in Florida during the 2016 election, institutions such as mosques and Islamic Centers have faced threats and harassment when they offered their space in this manner.
- As the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America guide describes, if your house of worship has a school attached you must ensure that there are security measures in place to separate where the children are from where people will be voting.
- The ELCA guide also notes that you should ensure that your organization’s insurance carrier is aware of and okay with your building being used as a polling location.
- The federal court decision in Otero v. State Election Board established that houses of worship can serve the purely secular purpose of providing a place for individuals to vote. To ensure that houses of worship are not going beyond that purpose, they should avoid activities such as:
- Distributing religious literature to people standing in line.
- Placing voting booths where voters are facing distinct religious symbolism such as an altar or a sacramental item.
- Displaying anything that could be construed as partisan in nature.
- Here are some of the basic steps for ensuring whether a location is able to serve as a polling place (You can find more information in the A More Perfect Union guide):
- Step 1: Ensure your space is fully ADA-compliant
- Step 2: Contact your county and offer your space as a polling place/vote center
- Step 3: Check with board and staff to confirm requirements can be met
- Step 4: Conduct an assessment regarding security concerns for your location.
- Step 5: Check for scheduled conflicts.
- High priority states and counties will be updated regularly; sign up to receive Faith in Elections Playbook updates.
- Secure Communities Network’s security guide
- National Council of State Legislatures polling location guide
- Emgage Guide on How Mosques Can Serve as Polling Locations
- PDF checklist: A More Perfect Union guide
- The Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility checklist
- Church Law Center’s Guide for Churches Serving as Polling Locations
- Sample Vote Center Requirements from Los Angeles County
- Sample Polling Location Guide from Berks County, Pennsylvania
- ELCA Polling Location Guide for Churches
- Andrew Goodman Foundation and Campus Vote Project
Elections are run at the state and local level. They are staffed by regular citizens who are willing to give of their time to help our elections run smoothly. You can build trust and transparency in elections by creating relationships with your local election officials — to both hold them accountable and learn about the process. Having strong relationships in place well before Election Day will make it easier to navigate challenges that may arise.
Even with this commitment from faith-based organizations and the work of local election officials, Some areas still have voting deserts. These can decrease voting access and diminish trust in elections. An insufficient number of polling locations can make it difficult for rural voters and those without access to a vehicle or public transportation to vote. Marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted.
- Elections in our country are run by the states — not by Washington, D.C. They have many moving parts, and the stakes surrounding elections are high. It can be hard to understand the process, from the registration and maintenance of voting, to the creation of ballots, to the system for casting and counting of votes. We can educate ourselves on the system and learn to trust the transparency and accountability measures that are in place, knowing there are laws to guide the process and watch dogs to detect any potential violations.
- The vast majority of election officials around the country are professionals with years of experience administering elections. They do not take their own personal or political beliefs into account when determining the outcome.
- Election officials are under a great deal of stress and have even faced threats and harassment.
- Communities can build trust in their elections by demystifying election administration and learning from their local election officials. Officials can answer questions from the public regarding how people vote, how ballots are counted, and how our elections are certified.
- By providing opportunities for direct engagement with election officials, faith-based organizations can increase trust in our elections while also raising any concerns that they have directly with the people who run our elections.
- These meetings also provide an opportunity for members from both sides of the political aisle to increase transparency and accountability from election officials. They can help election officials protect the right to vote while also maintaining the integrity of elections.
- If you can establish a relationship with election officials throughout the leadup to the 2024 election, you can better assess the information that is shared during the heat of the election itself.
- Faiths United to Save Democracy (FUSD) will host “We Are Watching” webinars in early 2024 in ten priority states. The goal is to provide faith and lay leaders with direct access to state election officials and the opportunity to ask questions to clarify the 2024 election rules and any polling site changes. These sessions also signal to state election officials that their actions are being monitored to ensure free, fair, and safe elections for all voters.
- Election officials need the support of their communities now more than ever. Find ways to publicly thank election workers for their service, and encourage others to do the same. Projects such as “Election Heroes Day” provide resources on how to thank your election officials.
- A More Perfect Union has outlined the following steps for engaging with election officials. A more detailed version of this list can be found here.
- Step 1: Research the questions, concerns, and opportunities in your community.
- Step 2: Choose the type of engagement that best suits your organization – whether that is interfaith events, community events, examining logic and accuracy tests, attending board meetings, or some other activity.
- Step 3: Consider what new and existing coalitions might collaborate.
- Step 4: If applicable, reach out to your local election officials.
- Step 5: Prepare your questions and topics.
- Step 6: Send a thank you note.
- Step 7: Educate your community about what you have learned.
- Faiths United to Save Democracy toolkit (“We Are Watching” is on page 19)
- Election Heroes Day website and partner toolkit.
Interfaith clergy gatherings are one way to bring together multiple stakeholders for a conversation with election officials. Because feelings, fears, questions, and concerns about American elections can differ dramatically by community, organizing these leaders for a single conversation with local election officials is an efficient way to build transparency quickly and at scale.
The freedoms that Americans enjoy — including religious freedom — rest on our ability to exercise healthy self-governance. Our constitutional form of government depends upon millions of Americans stepping up to ensure that every eligible American is able to exercise their right to vote, and that our elections are administered in a way that earns the trust of the people. Regardless of the candidates we support or the values that shape us, as Americans we share a belief in the importance of free and fair elections.
Trust in our elections is at a dangerous low. Our country is divided, which puts our ability to ensure the peaceful transfer of power under threat. We cannot run our complex, nonpartisan election system without everyday people doing their part. Everyone has a role in our democracy.
When our country is in need, people of faith mobilize to serve their communities. Whether responding to national disasters, helping refugees resettle, or tackling entrenched problems like poverty, addiction, and racial injustice, faith communities are often on the front lines. Throughout American history, civic engagement from religious leaders has been crucial to building a more perfect union.
As our election system faces unprecedented challenges in 2024, we need to join the growing cross-partisan movement to serve our country in the most fundamental way: by ensuring a smoothly-run election that earns the trust of the American people. Religious institutions and everyday people of faith have the values, power, and skillset to play a pivotal role in this effort to protect every valid vote — the foundation on which all other freedoms rest.
If you are ready and able to serve our democracy in its hour of need, we are ready to show you how. The Faith in Elections Playbook can help your organization find its own way to protect the 2024 election.
interactive Webinar
Faith in Elections: Strengthening Civic Infrastructure for 2024
Faith in Elections Playbook leaders and grantees share strategies and address inquiries related to the recruitment of poll workers, serving as poll chaplains, and providing space for polling sites.
Grant
Faith in Elections Playbook Grant
The Faith in Elections Playbook Grant can help your faith community, organization or association find its own way to support and protect the 2024 election. Take meaningful action to meet the needs of your community no matter your worldview, identities, or location.
Faith + Democracy Grant
The Faith + Democracy Grant is offered exclusively to the members of Interfaith America’s Emerging Leaders Network. Grant recipients will use the funding to carry out a nonpartisan project that utilizes the Faith in Elections Playbook to foster healthy democratic practices through an interfaith lens.
Anthony Cruz Pantojas
Galen Carey
Kim Daniels
Sofi Hersher
Shirley Hoogstra
Simran Jeet-Singh
Dani Levine
Nabila Mansoor
Emma Petty Addams
Lauren W. Reliford
Dilara Sayeed
Tahil Sharma
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Barbara Williams-Skinner
Religion News Service
A religious calling to protect democracy
Most religious doctrines do not require an embrace of democracy. But in today’s world, authoritarians are attempting to do the opposite — to recruit communities of faith to undermine democracy.
Protect Democracy
“It Takes All of Us”: A Playbook for Protecting the 2024 Election
Protect Democracy’s Chris Crawford addresses the thousands of attendees at The Parliament of the World’s Religions conference in Chicago. In his speech, Chris outlined the role that Americans of different political and religious beliefs can play in building a broad coalition to protect democracy.
Interfaith America Magazine
In Polarizing Times, People of Faith Must Answer the Call to Safeguard Free and Fair Elections
Interfaith America and Protect Democracy launch the Faith in Elections Playbook, a digital guide of nonpartisan strategies to defend democracy.
The recommendations in The Faith in Elections Playbook have been vetted to comply with 501(c)(3) regulations from the Internal Revenue Service.
