Madison, Wis. (RNS) — As two dozen pastors, poll chaplains and other leaders gathered for a pre-election press conference outside of First United Methodist Church in Wisconsin’s capital Wednesday (Oct. 30), they got a taste of what life is like in a battleground state.
As Paul Raushenbush, president of the Interfaith Alliance, a national nonprofit whose leaders were on a pro-voting tour, stepped to the microphone, some young hecklers drove by in a green SUV, flipping the faith leaders the bird and shouting, “Vote Trump.”
Raushenbush waved to the hecklers and then got back to business — spreading the message that every vote counts.
“Every person, every vote matters,” said Raushenbush, a Madison, Wisconsin, native, with the state capitol and a bus emblazoned with the words “The Vote is Sacred” in the background. “Every vote is sacred and every voice is sacred.”
Wednesday’s press conference was part of an interfaith pro-voting bus tour across swing states that began in Nebraska and will end on election day in Pennsylvania. Raushenbush and other leaders hope to encourage people to get out and vote, no matter their faith — and to remind the public that no one faith group has a monopoly on how religion should affect the upcoming election.
The Rev. Joy Gallmon, pastor of St. Mark African Methodist Episcopal Church in Milwaukee, urged listeners to love their neighbors with the vote and to support policies that promote the public good. She also wanted to “push back against the noise” and anxiety that has been present during a tight presidential race.
Gallmon said that along with voting, members of her church will be working at the polls next week and doing their part for democracy. Rather than being anxious about the outcome, Gallmon said in an interview that people of faith should cast their vote and trust the process.
“People of faith are always hopeful,” she said. “We trust God. We trust the divine. And whatever the process is, the divine is always at work.”
Like other speakers, Rhonda Lindner of the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign stressed the importance of getting out to the polls. She tied democracy to the idea that human beings are made in God’s image. And since people bear the divine image, their voice, and their votes, count.
“We have a saying at our campaign: ‘pray with your feet, pray with your vote,’” she said.
Around the corner from the press conference, a sign that read “Your Voice Matters” hung on the side of the First Methodist building. Pastor Cathy Weigand said the sign was meant to remind those who drive by that they have a say in shaping the world around them.
“Even when they’re different from the person sitting next to us, our voices are so important,” she said. “We need to find ways to use them to make a difference in this broken world.”
A “Your Voice Matters” sign at First United Methodist Church in Madison, Wis., Wed., Oct. 30, 2024. (RNS photo/Bob Smietana)
Weigand said every time she drives into the First Methodist parking lot, which stands a few blocks from the state capitol, she’s aware of the influence people of faith can have in the democratic process.
“Each one of us has been called to listen to one another, to work toward civil discourse, to keep votes safe so that people can have their voices and their votes counted,” she said.
Along with promoting voting, Wisconsin faith groups are gearing up for Election Day, with some clergy getting training to serve as poll chaplains, preparing sermon series on kindness and “loving your neighbor in an election season,” hosting vigils and in at least one case, offering a “decompress day” after the election.
Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ in Madison will hold a “Hope Café” on Nov. 6, offering tea, coffee, snacks and community. The church will also focus on finding “healing and rest” after a weary election season.
“Being in community is healing during these times of anxiety, polarization and unknown for our nation,” the Rev. Julia Burkey said in an email. “What we do know is that we are in this together, and coming together offers hope.”
On Election Day (Nov. 5), First Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Wisconsin, near the Minnesota border, will open its doors for prayer, where people can light candles, post their prayer requests and pray for peace. There will also be a sand table, where people can write their anxieties and then brush them away — in a physical representation of letting go of their fears and anxieties.
The Rev. Kendra Grams said she hears regularly from people who are worried about the election and about the state of polarization in the country.
“We are all feeling the tension,” she said.
Grams said she is also often talking with people about what comes after the election — and how the country moves forward. In the back of her mind, she’s also thinking about the transition of power in January and the impact of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“I hope I’m not calling emergency prayer services,” she said.
As the press conference in Madison wound down, a truck drove by, with two huge American flags flying in the bed alongside a “Harris-Walz” sign, another example of life in a battleground state.
The Rev. Chaks Zadda of the First Baptist Church of Waukesha, Wisconsin, closed the event with a benediction.
“May the Lord bless you as you continue to exercise your power of participating in democracy to make a difference in God’s world,” he said.