The  Franciscan Action Network is recruiting volunteers to work at election sites and meet with election officials ahead of the November midterms. 

FAN organizers say they hope to contribute to safer and accessible poll sites in November. They are recruiting people in all 50 states to sign up as poll workers and poll chaplains. FAN is a nonprofit founded by the Franciscans dedicated to human rights, fighting poverty and peacemaking. 

Poll workers open polling sites on election day, check in voters and handle the voting equipment. Poll chaplains are stationed at polling sites to de-escalate tense situations that may arise and act as peacekeepers. Election officials are tasked with keeping elections fair and secure, overseeing the registration and voting process. 

FAN does not hire poll workers. It directs people to sign up through their local election officials while providing training in de-escalation and communication techniques for prospective election workers.

Robert Christian is the director of strategy at the network. He says that so far, FAN has recruited over 200 people to be poll workers and over 150 to serve as poll chaplains. Sign ups will continue as the election gets closer.

“Voting is vitally important, but a participatory democracy requires more than that,” Mr. Christian says.

Serving at election sites offers “the opportunity for people all across the country to participate in that process and to make sure that it’s carried out in a peaceful and fair way so that everyone can exercise their right to vote.” 

FAN, working in collaboration with the Jewish Partnership for Democracy, has been recruiting volunteers to meet with election officials and offer encouragement during a time when many officials feel unsafe in their jobs. 

“The goal is to build relationships with election officials, to ensure that they know there are people supporting them,” Mr. Christian says. 

According to a survey from the Brennan Center for Justice, local election officials have faced continued harassment and threats. Some worry it has become harder to recruit and retain election workers.

The center polled 834 local election officials, many of whom said they were worried about safety and are preparing for possible interference in election activities, like politically motivated investigations into election officials and pressure to certify election results in favor of a specific party. These issues are expected to continue as the midterms get closer. 

Tom Lopach is chief executive of the Voter Participation Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that helps people register to vote and cast ballots. He says that this midterm election is especially important but also faces numerous obstacles. 

“Eligible voters are being bombarded with efforts to confuse, intimidate and suppress them from turning out,” Mr. Lopach says. “The reality that we’re facing during this cycle underscores that it is more important than ever that every American gets registered, exercises their right to vote and helps neighbors do the same.”

FAN members are predicting similar issues this November, according to Mr. Christian. 

“There is a distinct possibility that actions will be taken that are aimed at undermining the democratic process,” he says, citing scenarios such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents converging on voting sites. He worries their presence at polls on election day could be a form of voter intimidation, particularly discouraging Latino voters or others who could fear racial profiling. Mr. Christian says that FAN members have seen this before. 

“That’s one reason why we will have this nonviolent communication and de-escalation training—so that there are people there, whether they are chaplains, poll workers or just regular voters in line, and if they see something that doesn’t seem right, they’ll know [what to do].” 

Mr. Christian says FAN’s work leading up to November is rooted in Catholic social teaching on human dignity and its emphasis on the full participation of people in civic life. He says that to act on this teaching, everyone should have the chance to be a part of the democratic process. 

Read more about how Catholics have supported election efforts in the United States and around the world.