Wisconsin faith leaders volunteer as poll chaplains ahead of election
As voters prepare to head to the polls in Wisconsin, so do faith leaders. Clergy across the state are training to be a "peaceful presence" at the polls, according to the Wisconsin Council of Churches.
"It's greeting people, saying 'hi, welcome. Thanks for coming to vote,'" said Kendra Grams, who pastors at First Presbyterian Church in Hudson, Wisconsin.
Grams first volunteered as a poll chaplain in 2024 and says this effort is a reflection of her faith.
"Being involved through voting is one way that we help to bring about the world that our faith teaches us," she said. "For me, as a Christian, that's Christ's witness of love and justice and peace for all."
The Wisconsin Council of Churches partnered with the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign and aims to train people of faith across different traditions. The goal, leaders say, is to provide trusted messengers who reflect their community to help bring a sense of security. Grams said they follow all state guidelines and stand over 100 feet away from the polling place.
"Hopefully, across the state, it's clergy of all different kinds and all different political persuasions participating together," Grams said.
According to the Associated Press, the effort to train faith leaders as poll chaplains goes beyond the Midwest. Faiths United in Saving Democracy is a coalition of interfaith groups that have trained more than 1,000 poll chaplains who plan to work on Election Day in 8 states. Some races in those states are tight, heightening tensions.
"Undeniably, we live in very divisive times," said Grams. "Any way that we can help people see one another as neighbors that whether we believe the same things politically or not that we're still neighbors."
