A coalition of Christian faith leaders from across Michigan are encouraging people to vote and respect each other during the midterms.
It's part of the coalition's ongoing campaign called Loving Your Neighbor in the Election Season.
The coalition includes leaders from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, and the US Presbyterian Church.
“To refuse to engage with people who disagree with us is really to, kind of, tear at the fabric of this society. We have to work together."Bishop David Bard from the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church
In an Oct. 27 press conference, they highlighted a statistic from their website that says 35% of registered voters actually turn out to vote. Some communities that they are focusing on, Muskegon and Saginaw have historically low voter turnout.
They say the role of churches in elections can include educating people on how to register to vote and providing trustworthy, nonpartisan election information.
"Through our efforts, we as faith leaders can hopefully empower Michiganders to see voting as both an act of faith, and a powerful way to love our neighbors," said Reverend Kristen Stroble of the Presbytery of Lake Michigan.
The coalition gave emphasis to Michigan’s election security and thanked local election workers. Former Lt. Gov. John Cherry, who is now a Democracy Defense Foundation board member and advisor to the Carter Center’s Michigan Election Observation Project, was also a speaker at the press conference.
He said that polling from the Democracy Defense Foundation found the majority of Michiganders trust the election process in the state.
“All the facts and the evidence show that Michigan’s highly decentralized election system minimizes errors, mistakes, and cheating,” said Bishop Julie Schneider-Thomas of the Evangelical Church of America’s North/West Lower Michigan Synod.
Michigan administers elections at the local level. Over 1,600 local election officials are involved in the process, making it one of the most decentralized systems in the country.
"Coordinating fraud would be extremely difficult, if not impossible," Cherry said.
The leaders encouraged Michiganders to volunteer at the polls.
"God bless a system in which, it doesn’t matter what religion you are if you are working the polls. We are side by side, standing up for everybody’s vote no matter what," said Reverend Lillian Daniel, Minister of the Michigan Conference for United Church of Christ.
Throughout the press conference, the leaders called for people to engage in respectful dialogue with one another during the divisive election season.
“To refuse to engage with people who disagree with us is really to kind of tear at the fabric of this society. We have to work together,” said Bishop David Bard of the Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church. "We all have things to learn from people. So, to refuse to engage with people who disagree with us is to cut ourselves off from the wisdom they may have."
Cherry offered his advice on how to have conversations with those you disagree with.
"You need to both listen and speak," Cherry said. "So, when I encounter that situation, I like to ask them to explain why they believe that way, so they can understand that I am willing to listen."
Some of the conversation centered on rhetoric within the US Senate race, particularly towards the Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who is Muslim.
Recently, President Trump held a rally in Port Huron, where he called El-Sayed a "jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member" and compared him to 9/11 attackers.
El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, has tried to link his family to Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed has publicly disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood and there is no known evidence that links him to any terror organizations.
“I have not, in our churches, heard reluctance to vote for somebody just because they are Muslim,” Daniel said. “In fact, I would say it’s kind of a test of our Christian faith: can we show love to everybody… including people with different backgrounds from our own?”
If elected in November, El-Sayed would be the first Muslim to serve in the US Senate in the nation's history.
“As a person of faith, I know that everyone is made in God’s image and likeness,” said Bishop Bonnie Perry, the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. “Then, it is my call to defend and support people, and to point out and say no to any Islamophobic or antisemitic comments.”
Cherry also condemned the rhetoric: "We have candidates that are of all denominations and all faiths, and they all the deserve the respect that a human being is entitled too."
Early, in-person voting has already begun in Michigan. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The state's voter information center website has information on where your polling station is and what is on your ballot.
