National Faith Leaders Release Voter Reflection Guide to Educate Faithful Voters in the 2020 Election
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 30, 2020
MEDIA CONTACT
Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202) 735-7123
Austin Schuler, aschuler@faithinpubliclife.org, (540) 280-3393
Susan Stephenson, susan@interfaithpowerandlight.org, (510) 484-7198
National Faith Leaders Release Voter Reflection Guide to Educate Faithful Voters in the 2020 Election
Washington, D.C. — On Tuesday, June 30, Faith in Public Life and Interfaith Power & Light released a voter reflection guide endorsed by prominent national faith groups and religious leaders. The guide, Democracy, Values & the 2020 Election, addresses urgent issues in the election, including voting rights, climate change, systemic racism in the criminal justice system, healthcare and immigration. It will be distributed across the country for discussion in diverse faith communities and includes topics for reflection and sample questions to ask candidates.
Faith leaders briefed reporters on the guide and on 2020 mobilization efforts during an online press conference. The guide has been endorsed by leaders at the National Council of Churches, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Vote Common Good and other organizations at the national and state level.
To download a copy of the guide, click here.
For a video of the full event, click here.
Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO, Faith in Public Life:
“The 2020 election season is not just a call to the polls. This is a call to collective consciousness. As faith leaders, it’s our duty, and our long history, to engage hard and historic times. But we must do more than urge people to vote. A resource like our new, free, in-depth 2020 Voter’s Reflection Guide will help educate faith communities to do as the great poet and womanist Octavia Butler advised: ‘Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought.’ As our nation prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July, faith leaders must get fired up and willing to get deeply involved this election season to ensure that no one sits out. Believers know better than anyone how faith turned into action turns into change.”
Rev. Susan Hendershot, President, Interfaith Power & Light:
“The historic moment that we are in demonstrates the intersection between climate justice, global health, and systemic racism. People of faith and conscience are called to live out their core values of courage and justice, centered in love for the sacred, for one another, and for the earth. This resource will encourage faith communities to have conversations about how to participate thoughtfully in our democracy, while holding those values.”
Sr. Simone Campbell SSS, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice:
“The 2020 election is a test for our democracy. The urgency of a pandemic, police violence, racism of our leaders and our systems all threaten our nation. Pope Francis mandates that ‘a good Catholic meddles in politics’ to promote an inclusive society. We are doing just that to transform all policies and systems that deny the sacred truth that Black Lives Matter. We work to ensure that everyone in our nation has access to quality health care. We work to guarantee that all can live in dignity with a roof over their heads and enough food on their plates. We work to end the economic inequality promoted by our tax laws. We work to ensure that our immigrant siblings are welcomed and honored for their inherent dignity. Our basic human rights and dignity are at risk. We join today to promote our values in a vote for the common good.”
Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Co-founder, Green the Church and Senior Pastor, Church by the Side of the Road in Berkeley, Calif:
“This is a moment for fundamental change. We are in the midst of a great paradigm shift, and we can help make change by electing leaders who will work to dismantle systemic racism and work for climate action for the good of all.”
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Faith in Public Life is a national movement of clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice, equality and the common good. Together, we are leading the fight to advance just policies at the state and federal level. Our network of 50,000 leaders engage in bold moral action that affirms our values and the human dignity of all.
Interfaith Power & Light inspires and mobilizes people of faith and conscience to take bold and just action on climate change. With a network of more than 22,000 congregations and 40 state affiliates across the country, IPL regularly reaches six million people of all religious and spiritual traditions.