Full Breakdown
Interfaith Poll Chaplains Mobilize for the 2026 Midterm Elections
By Drooid · · How we work
Interfaith Poll Chaplain Initiative for the 2026 Midterms
A coalition called Faiths United in Saving Democracy is training and certifying clergy and lay volunteers to serve as poll chaplains and peacekeepers on Election Day in the upcoming November elections. The effort will deploy volunteers to nine battleground states—Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia and Texas—where tight races are expected to raise political tensions. As of mid-October, the coalition has recruited 1,235 poll chaplains and peacekeepers, who will wear identifying hats and vests while remaining outside polling places to provide a calm, reassuring presence.
Motivation and Context
Organizers cite growing concerns that the presence of federal immigration agents could create a chilling effect on voters in mixed-immigration-status families and communities of color. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said agents could appear at polls only for specific reasons such as executing a warrant, but officials have repeatedly stated there are no plans to send agents to voting sites. A Pew survey conducted after the 2025 assassination of activist Charlie Kirk found 85 % of Americans believe political violence is on the rise, reinforcing fears of intimidation at the ballot box. Past incidents—including a 2022 Arizona drop-box monitoring dispute and a 2020 Detroit vote-counting center storm—illustrate the perceived need for on-site de-escalation.
Participants and Training
The coalition’s training, offered both online and in person, covers immigrant-rights information, de-escalation techniques, and emergency contact numbers. Rev. Other volunteers include Rev. Steve Bland of Detroit’s Liberty Temple Baptist Church, who intervened during a 2020 protest, and Rev. Bankole Akinbinu of Baptist Grove Church in Raleigh, who emphasizes the historic struggle for voting rights. The roster spans Quakers, Baptists, imams, rabbis, Buddhist nuns and secular partners, reflecting an “unusual coalition” of faith traditions.
Official Statements & Responses
Co-founder Barbara Williams-Skinner described the 2026 effort as distinct from prior years because of heightened fear surrounding immigration enforcement. Rev. Katie Sexton added that the work aligns with Christian teachings that all humans are created in the image of God. Rabbi Emily Segal of Temple Chai noted that the project reflects Torah and Talmudic principles of a just society, while Imam Mohammed Ali Elahi expressed fatigue with anti-Muslim vitriol and affirmed a commitment to universal human rights.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I look at our forefathers and the struggle they had to endure to afford us the privilege of voting,” — The Rev. Bankole Akinbinu, senior pastor of Baptist Grove Church in Raleigh, North Carolina
- “People are feeling called to chaplaincy because they want to be with people in difficult times,” — Wendy Cadge