During an election year, the importance of casting informed votes and underlining how each and every ballot makes a difference cannot be emphasized enough, according to Faithful Democracy, a coalition of religious organizations which is committed to promoting faithful engagement in the democratic process.

A press conference in Judiciary Square, Washington, D.C., drew representatives from the Episcopal Church, National Council of Churches, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, Interfaith Alliance and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, among others, to alert the public to the new partnership and common commitment.

The director of the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations, Maureen Shea, spoke about Faithful Democracy as an opportunity to reflect on the baptismal vow to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” She added, “We hope that Episcopalians will see voting and encouraging others to do so as an important way to strive for justice.”

According to Shea, as a participant in the partnership, the Episcopal Church will help to encourage people and provide resources in different parts of the country, paying particular attention to the Jubilee Centers, community-based sites that are dedicated to improving the lives of the poor through programs of outreach, evangelism, empowerment and advocacy. “The Jubilee Centers are perfect places to get out the vote drives as they serve the people who tend not to vote,” said Shea.

The Rev. Brenda Girton-Mitchell, the National Council of Churches’ associate general secretary for public policy, pledged to ensure that everyone understands their civic responsibility to be part of the democratic process. “We need to address the issues that are profoundly affecting America today,” she said. “We will be engaged in religious dialogue and discernment of the issues. We will stand together in our faith.”

Representing Native Americans, the Rev. Chebon Kernell, who serves as pastor of Pawnee Indian United Methodist Church and as director of interpretation and programs for the Oklahoma Indian Conference of the United Methodist Church, spoke about the distrust of Native Americans in the government and how his hope is to register 3,000 voters this June in his “Rock the Native Vote” campaign. “I stand here because of the love of my brothers and sisters,” he said. “And we want to affirm the importance of the grass roots level, as this is what makes our country grow.”

Resources and opportunities

According to the Census Bureau, 70% of those eligible to register did so in 2000 and 60% of those eligible to vote did so. Among 18-24 year olds, just over half of those eligible (51%) registered and only 36% of those eligible actually voted.

The three goals of Faithful Democracy are to increase the number of people casting informed votes that are counted in the 2004 elections, to increase the number of people with a commitment to responsible civil participation that is grounded in their religious values, and to create or strengthen lasting partnerships between different religious groups, and between the faith community and secular organizations at the local level.

The conference also announced the launch of Faithful Democracy’s official website [www.faithfuldemocracy.org], which will offer people of faith a wealth of voter participation resources and numerous opportunities for coordinated action.

(By Matthew Davies, staff writer of Episcopal News Service.)

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