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.”
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