Faith leaders unite across religions to counter voter intimidation on Election Day

WASHINGTON — A nonpartisan coalition of interfaith and secular groups is training hundreds of clergy members and lay peacekeepers to act as poll chaplains in nine battleground states for the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to reports published on Oct. 20, 2026.

The volunteers will deploy to Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia and Texas, where contested races are expected to raise political tensions. They will wear identifying hats and vests and remain outside polling centres. Their stated goal is to keep a calm and reassuring presence, so that voters can cast ballots without fear or hesitation, said co-founder Barbara Williams-Skinner, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The group, Faiths United in Saving Democracy, is training the volunteers online and in person through the end of October. Training covers de-escalation techniques, local laws and resources, and immigrant rights. Participants also receive phone numbers to call in tense situations, Williams-Skinner said. As of Oct. 19, the coalition had recruited 1,235 poll chaplains and peacekeepers, she said.

Williams-Skinner said the initiative is nonpartisan. She said most participating groups are moderate or progressive, but that the coalition does not screen participants by political views. "We don't get hung up on who's moderate or who's conservative," she said. "People just need to be able to vote, unafraid."

Some volunteers have already been preparing. On Oct. 6, 2026, the Arizona Faith Network held a training for poll chaplains and peacekeepers at Temple Chai in Scottsdale, Arizona, ahead of the midterm election. Photographs from the session show volunteers receiving training materials and T-shirts.

Williams-Skinner said the coalition's concern is the presence of federal immigration agents near polling places. She said the fear is real and could deter eligible voters in mixed-immigration-status families and communities of color. Department of Homeland Security officials have consistently said they have no plans to send immigration agents to polls. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin has said agents could appear at a polling place for a specific reason, such as arresting someone with a warrant. The reports do not say whether any such arrests are planned.

It is not clear how many volunteers will be deployed in each state. The reports say "hundreds" will serve, but do not give a precise figure beyond the recruitment total. The reports also do not say how many volunteers will be on duty at any one polling place.

Background

Poll chaplains and lay peacekeepers have served at polls in recent election cycles. Williams-Skinner said the idea has existed for several years, but that "2026 is going to be different." The initiative is strongly rooted in the Black church and has expanded to include faiths beyond Christianity, as well as non-religious people, she said.

A Pew survey taken after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025 found that 85% of Americans, across political lines, believe political violence is on the rise, according to the reports.

Polling places have been targeted in past elections. In 2022, members of a group claiming to monitor ballot drop boxes in Arizona were ordered to stay at least 250 feet (75 meters) away after voters complained about intimidation. In 2020, after Election Day, a crowd stormed a vote-counting center in Detroit. Many in the crowd were incited by online conspiracy theories about election fraud, the reports said. The Rev. Steve Bland, pastor of Liberty Temple Baptist Church in Detroit, was among faith leaders who stood between the building and the crowd. He is continuing that work as a poll chaplain.

Bland said de-escalation often involves "using the right words to calm a situation." He said he once helped an elderly Black woman vote in a prior election. "Without that intervention, three people wouldn't have voted that day," he said.