Archbishop Weisenburger promotes poll chaplains as groups train for elections
Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit urged Catholics to support voting rights by recruiting and training nonpartisan poll watchers and poll chaplains. Poll chaplains volunteer outside polling places to share election information, mediate tensions, and document intimidation or interference with voting rights. Faith groups are preparing poll chaplains for the 2026 U.S. midterm elections; Georgetown’s Center on Faith and Justice says it has trained more than 1,000 people through Faiths United to Save Democracy. At a conference on participation, dignity, and elections, Weisenburger described civic engagement and the Church’s role in building a just society as responsibilities of faith and citizenship.
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As the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm elections approach, Catholic and interfaith groups are recruiting and training volunteers to serve as poll chaplains—nonpartisan observers who aim to ease tensions, provide election information, and help protect voters’ ability to cast ballots. Detroit Archbishop Edward Weisenburger has encouraged Catholic participation, describing voter protection as part of the Church’s civic and theological responsibilities.
Poll chaplains, sometimes called peacekeepers, volunteer outside polling places. Their work can include sharing nonpartisan election information, mediating disputes, and documenting or peacefully responding to intimidation or interference with voting rights; the role is not an official Church or government position.
Speaking at a Sept. 16 conference organized by Catholics in Communion, Weisenburger said Catholics should engage in democratic life, including by supporting voter registration and training nonpartisan poll watchers and chaplains. He pointed to concerns about gerrymandering, voter suppression, and intimidation, and said democratic government, citizens’ responsibilities, and the Church’s public witness all contribute to the common good.
The Rev. Jim Wallis, who directs Georgetown University’s Center on Faith and Justice, said the center had trained more than 1,000 people of different faiths through Faiths United to Save Democracy. Participants include Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists, as well as laypeople and clergy; the final scheduled training was set for Oct. 15. Wallis said the effort is grounded in the belief that every person has dignity and that voting rights are connected to that dignity.
The Franciscan Action Network said it had recruited 321 volunteers, including Franciscan friars, sisters, and laypeople, along with other Catholics and Christians. Its strategy director, Robert Christian, said the work fits the network’s emphasis on peace and on every person’s right to participate in civic life.
Organizers said training focuses on de-escalating partisan disputes in voting lines and conflicts between voters and poll workers. Wallis also cited concern over suggestions by the Trump administration that ICE agents or National Guard personnel could be deployed at polling locations, while Christian said discussion of possible federal intervention had made volunteers nervous.
The 2026 midterms are scheduled for Nov. 3. All House seats and 35 Senate seats are up for election, alongside gubernatorial, local, and ballot-measure contests in states across the country.
Catholic responsibility for safeguarding democratic participation and human dignity
Catholic responsibility for safeguarding democratic participation begins with a simple principle: democracy serves people, not the other way around. The Church recognizes democracy as an important means for citizens to participate in public decisions, but says it is sound only when grounded in a right understanding of the human person and respect for human rights. Those rights make genuine participation possible.
For Catholics, participation is therefore more than a political preference. Responsible citizenship is a moral obligation rooted in baptism and in the duty to promote the common good. Depending on one’s circumstances, that can mean voting, listening carefully to public debate, contacting representatives, serving in community organizations, or helping others make their voices heard.
This responsibility includes defending the conditions that allow people to participate freely and meaningfully: respect for their rights, attention to those whose voices are often overlooked, and public debate directed toward human dignity and the common good rather than partisan advantage. The Church calls for political engagement shaped by well-formed consciences and concern for the weak and vulnerable—not by uncritical loyalty to a party or interest group.
Human dignity must remain central in judging public choices. Catholics are called to protect the lives and dignity of all, especially those who are vulnerable or voiceless, and to work for justice and peace through political as well as nonpolitical action. The responsibility belongs not only to elected officials: individuals, families, community organizations, businesses, and governments all have a part in building a society that respects human life and dignity.
That also calls for integrity in political engagement. Catholic leaders have a particular duty to support laws that uphold fundamental human values, while lay Catholics have a proper role in working for a just ordering of society. The Church’s leaders teach moral principles and form consciences; they do not endorse or oppose candidates as a Church.
In practice, safeguarding democratic participation and human dignity means engaging rather than withdrawing, speaking truthfully without contempt, and seeking the good of the whole community—including people who do not share one’s faith or politics. Catholic civic responsibility is not partisan control of public life; it is faithful service to the dignity of every person and the common good.