Religious leaders urge peace at the polls ahead of midterms
By Gloria Rebecca Gomez - AZMIRROR
Leaders across religions are warning against political violence in November’s midterms, calling for peaceful, respectful participation from both candidates and voters.
In a letter published on Oct. 7, the heads of multiple religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Diocese of Arizona, the United Islamic Center of Arizona and the Greater Phoenix Board of Rabbis, emphasized the need to treat election workers with respect and spoke out against “dehumanizing rhetoric.”
“Across our different traditions, we share a simple moral teaching: to treat others as we ourselves would wish to be treated,” the religious leaders wrote. “That commitment does not disappear when we disagree. We reject every attempt to use religion to justify political violence, confer divine authority upon a candidate or party, or portray political opponents as enemies whose dignity no longer matters.”
The message comes as concern over the possibility of President Donald Trump sending election monitors to the polls across the country rises. Federal plans to assign U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to the polls were purportedly dropped, but progressive activists fear it could still happen. Some local groups have launched election observer training efforts in the hopes of preventing or at least reporting instances of voter intimidation on Election Day.
The Rev. Katie Sexton, a pastor and the executive director of the Arizona Faith Network, which helped write the letter, said that the intent was to show “unity in a very divided and partisan world.” Sexton added that it isn’t meant to support a specific candidate or party, but rather to remind Arizonans of their values from a religious perspective.
“This letter in no way tells people how to vote or who to vote for,” she said. “It’s just saying: ‘As people of faith, we remind our communities that we are here to be peacemakers in our communities and when the election is over we are (still) going to be neighbors.’”
The letter also strongly advocates for the fair treatment of election workers, and calls on voters to be patient when waiting for results.