On Nov. 3, millions of Americans will cast their ballots in the midterms, an election that will decide control of Congress, gubernatorial offices and state legislatures across the country. As the election draws closer, faith leaders are preparing to go to the polls—but not only to vote. 

(Editor’s note: Alexander Pfau previously wrote on this subject in “How a Catholic advocacy group is preparing poll workers for the 2026 midterm elections.”)

Karen Hagen is a Milwaukee-based Presbyterian pastor who will serve as a poll chaplain on election day. She says a poll chaplain’s job is to stand outside the polling site and be a support person to any voter who may need it, as well as standing ready to defuse any tensions that may arise. 

“We are usually the first people, the first someone, that anyone coming to vote would see,” Rev. Hagen says. “Our intention is to be a welcoming, helpful presence.”

She says poll chaplains are apolitical and have no agenda on the job. They wear vests, badges or hats identifying their roles and are required by law to stand a certain number of feet from the voting site. The distance varies by state.

Poll chaplains are trained in de-escalation techniques should there be any situations that require it. When she talks to people walking to the poll site, Rev. Hagen does not always expect a response. But when she does get into a conversation with a voter, it feels very neighborly. 

Rev. Hagen says she has found her experience as a poll chaplain rewarding, describing chaplains as “a calming presence and a service and a sense of support to people who do go in and out of the polling stations.”

Rev. Hagen at a polling site in Wisconsin

If federal law enforcement, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, arrive at a polling site, Rev. Hagen says she would not be able to intervene. That possibility has become a concern to many voters, particularly Latinos who may now be wary of going to a poll site due to fear of being profiled by federal agents.

Despite those concerns, she remains confident “that everything will go smoothly for the people who do come.”

“Any sadness I have is that people might be intimidated to come,” she says.

Rev. Hagen is not the only one with those concerns. 

Rebekah Caruthers is the chief executive of the Fair Elections Center, a nonpartisan organization that works to defend, expand and facilitate voting rights.

She says that in the past several years, voting rights have been steadily eroded amid a crackdown on election laws. 

“We’ve seen in the last few years an increase in barriers for people to register to vote and an increase in barriers for people to actually cast their ballot.”

In North Carolina, for example, she said college students are no longer able to use college IDs to vote. She believes confirming the students’ identities was never the problem behind the recent change.

“The state of North Carolina knows who these students are in order to tax them if they have jobs,” she said. “The various institutions know who these students are when it comes to demanding tuition and fees, but all of a sudden, that campus ID is no longer good enough to prove that these students are who they say they are in order to be able to vote.”

Ms. Caruthers is also worried about other possible election disruptions, like the presence of law enforcement at polling stations. 

Deploying federal agents at election sites would be illegal according to state and federal laws, and while the Trump administration has denied it has plans to send ICE officers into polling sites, concerns about that kind of interference persist. Ms. Caruthers can find no justification for law enforcement at the polls. 

“Voters are peaceful in exercising their rights to vote,” she says. “And when I think about the call to serve, and the call to look out for your neighbor…I am very heartened to hear that chaplains and other ministers are willing to step up, to make sure that the right to vote remains sacred in this country.”

Jeanne Kiley is a Catholic poll peacekeeper based in North Carolina. A secular Franciscan, she learned about being a peacekeeper through the Franciscan Action Network and served during the 2024 elections. 

“The last election was a serene experience for me. I was able to talk with voters, explain to them why I chose to be there,” she says. But she notes that the upcoming midterm election might not be as smooth. She worries it “might be a more hostile environment.”

Whatever happens on Nov. 3, she says her job is to ensure that people feel safe at the poll site and to stand ready to respond should any tension or conflict become evident . Like Rev. Hagen, she has had training to de-escalate tense situations and to contact the state if she sees any strange occurrences at the polling place. 

Ms. Kiley says she became a poll peacekeeper to ensure that everyone’s dignity is protected and that everyone has a chance for their voice to be heard. The job allows her to act on her faith and promote equality and civic duty. 

“We are always seeking a way to serve that protects the dignity of every human being,” she said. “And voting is a way to ensure that all the people’s voices are heard.”