[Episcopal News Service] As the U.S. presidential race heats up with less than three months until the Nov. 5 general election, Episcopalians are not only encouraged to get involved in the electoral process but also invited to promote civil discourse during the election cycle and beyond.
The Episcopal Church’s Washington, D.C.-based Office of Government Relations has spent the past several years promoting its civil discourse curriculum, and on Aug. 27, it is offering an online workshop on “Building Capacity for Engaging on Tough Topics.”
“This engagement is where we as individuals can invest in our communities by paying attention and speaking out constructively through the powers and rights at our disposal,” the office said in its invitation to the workshop. Its goal is to “grow our individual and communal capacity for necessary conversations that leverage our diversity and help us solve problems together, even across disagreements.”
The workshop is scheduled for 4 p.m. Eastern and will last about an hour. Those interested are encouraged to register online.
Episcopalians will have a separate opportunity next month to hear Presiding Bishop Michael Curry speak on similar issues, in a webinar hosted by the Episcopal Parish Network. The panel discussion is scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern Sept. 18 and will explore “the meaning behind voting from a theological perspective that centers this civic action as one expression of caring for one another and God’s creation.”
The Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations regularly meets with federal officeholders to discuss the church’s stance on issues of the day. Photo: David Paulsen/Episcopal News Service
The Episcopal Church does not endorse individual political candidates but rather encourages nonpartisan advocacy and political engagement by Episcopalians as a way of witnessing to Jesus’ gospel message in today’s world. The Office of Government Relations, following public policy positions endorsed by General Convention, regularly meets with federal officeholders to discuss the church’s stances on the issues of the day. It also promotes churchwide engagement through its Episcopal Public Policy Network.
The Office of Government Relations also urges Episcopalians to “Vote Faithfully” with the help of resources outlined in its election engagement toolkit, which has been updated for this presidential election year. New resources include ways of addressing misinformation, disinformation and political violence.
Episcopalians also can consult the office’s toolkit for help in registering to vote, becoming poll workers, mobilizing their communities to participate and advocating for reforms that have been backed by resolutions of The Episcopal Church’s General Convention.
“We are excited for Episcopalians to make use of our Vote Faithfully election engagement campaign resources to help their communities vote this fall and participate in healthy civic engagement year-round, rooted in their faith call to care for one another,” Alan Yarborough, church relations officer for the Office of Government Relations, said in a written statement to Episcopal News Service.
The toolkit specifically highlights a resolution passed by General Convention in 2012 that notes, “the United States has been a vigorous human rights advocate for many years, opposing arbitrary restrictions on the right to vote and insisting on fairly conducted elections for legislative representatives.”
More recent General Convention resolutions have opposed voter suppression efforts and promoted the expansion of voter eligibility, as outlined in this resolution passed in 2022. Another resolution from that year backed changes to the Electoral Count Act of 1887 intended to prevent threats to democracy like the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, seeking to block the certification of Joe Biden’s election as president.
A full list of public policy resolutions adopted in June 2024 by the 81st General Convention can be found here.
The Office of Government Relations also continues to promote its Episcopal Activators program, in which volunteers help voters in their community navigate the processes for registering to vote and casting ballots, especially in states with new voting restrictions.
And Episcopalians can sign up with the Episcopal Public Policy Network to receive action alerts or review the previous alerts archived on the office’s website as a first step toward helping the church engage with lawmakers on these issues.
– David Paulsen is a senior reporter and editor for Episcopal News Service based in Wisconsin. He can be reached at dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org.