(Naples Daily News) Faith leader: Why we must invest in our democracy
Forces working to disenfranchise portions of population eligible to vote
Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris-Ewing
As a faith leader, I am committed to advocating for justice and challenging injustice. Within our local communities, states, and the nation, justice requires that all people are welcomed, valued, and given a voice. When people do not have a voice, they feel discounted, disconnected and without hope.
As a Christian leader, I believe that following Christ means working to build the Beloved Community on earth, a society in which we follow his commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, to respect the human dignity of every person and to work together toward the common good for all. This is a community that extends beyond church walls, and thus, can only be achieved if we participate fully in the democratic processes that shape how we live together. We cannot move forward together without engaging in our democracy, especially at the local level. It is therefore our responsibility and our privilege to work toward sustaining our democratic institutions both in our time and for generations to come.
Giving all people a voice and investing in our democracy is made more difficult when there are forces working to disenfranchise some portions of the population eligible to vote. We must commit to overcoming every obstacle to voting.
One of the barriers to participation is that our election officials do not have sufficient resources for safe, inclusive elections. I’ve seen and heard reports of challenges that election officials face here in Florida. Changes to election laws related to voter registration and mail-in ballots take significant time to track and implement. A shortage in the number of poll workers can lead to longer lines at the polls, discouraged voters who may not be able to stay to vote, and delays in reporting out election results. According to VerifiedVoting.org, in Collier County where I live, we are relying on some of the oldest election equipment in the nation, presenting a security vulnerability. Recently, our Supervisor of Elections for over two decades decided to retire as well, joining an exodus of many other experienced election officials across the country who left the profession altogether. Although I have full confidence in her successor, it can take time for any office to transition to new leadership. Altogether, these trends make it more challenging for fellow Floridians to cast their ballots and trust the outcomes of our elections are fair.
Essential to resolving each of these challenges is securing additional resources. It will take a major investment in order to upgrade aging equipment. One of the best ways to resolve poll worker shortages is to increase the compensation they are offered. State and local governments need to step up to prioritize election funding, but these challenges transcend any single county or state. Unfortunately, federal funding for election administration has historically been relatively minimal and inconsistent, often simply reactive to crises after they emerge.
It is time for the federal government to pay its fair share and treat our elections like the national priority that they are. After averting a government shutdown, Congress has an opportunity to finish crafting the next federal budget and a bipartisan group of senators has recently recommended including a $75 million federal funding package for election infrastructure upgrades. It’s a start on the path toward full funding, and we cannot afford to leave our election officials with anything less for the 2024 election season. With the risk of a government shutdown still looming, members of Congress need to get back to the negotiation table and pass a budget that includes this critical funding for our election infrastructure.
Our faith communities must stand up and protect our democratic institutions. This is especially important in the current climate of extreme division and dwindling trust. In this time, the Church has an important opportunity to make a difference: to stand with one voice urging government at every level – including the federal government – to invest in our elections at the level required to ensure that they are secure, open, and fair. The federal spending package is a first step.
People from all walks of life come together in churches to bridge divides, care for each other, and live out their calling to work toward a just and loving community. In a similar way, people of all walks of life come together to work toward the common good by going to the polls in each election season. It is not too much to say that our religious institutions and our democratic institutions together hold the answers for how we can heal the greatest ills facing our society. We cannot sit by and allow our democratic institutions to experience unrelenting attacks and historic disinvestment. I encourage Florida’s congressional delegation to stand with communities of faith and vote for a meaningful investment in our nation’s election infrastructure.
Rev. Dr. Sharon Harris-Ewing earned a B.S. in Human Development and Family Studies from Cornell University, a Master of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University at Buffalo. She has served in various capacities in Massachusetts, Western New York (Buffalo and Rochester) and Florida — including pastoral roles, college and seminary faculty, elected public school board member and president, and volunteer leader in church and community organizations. She is Professor of Education Emerita at Roberts Wesleyan College where she taught for 15 years before moving to Naples in 2016. Sharon served as Assistant Minister at Naples United Church of Christ from 2019-2021. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Interfaith Alliance of SWFL (founded in March 2023).
A link to the original article in Naples Daily News can be found here.
