Vote With Love

Yesterday, October 6, 2026, I participated in a press conference hosted by Texas Impact on the steps of the state Capitol. The purpose of the press conference was to lift up voting as a widely shared value for faith communities. Alongside a diverse cohort of clergy and faith leaders from across the state, I urged Texans of all faiths to check their voter registration and make plans to vote.

Maybe it sounds strange: a cadre of clergy urging citizens to practice their right to vote. What does voting have to do with faith? Well, I spoke to that in my remarks: “Here in Texas voting is a faith value,” I said, “Why? Because every human being, made in the image of God, has a voice. And if voting is our means of making voices heard, if voting is our constitutionally protected right to amplify the voices of the most vulnerable among us, then people of faith are called to remove every obstacle that would prevent those beloved voices from being heard.”

Other speakers addressed this from their faith tradition, as well.

Imam Amir Carr of Al Maa’uun Houston described voting as “right action” in the Muslim tradition, saying, “The Holy Prophet of Islam taught us to confront wrongdoing through action, speaking out, or—when neither is possible—rejecting it in our hearts. If we oppose tyranny and injustice, we must turn our complaints into action: organize, vote, and support those working for change.”

Rabbi Kelly Levy of Austin’s Congregation Beth Israel said the Jewish tradition sees voting as “imperative, and critical to forming a just, fair, and equitable society.”

Shelley Lesley, a lay leader from the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, highlighted her denomination’s emphasis on good government, saying, “The Church teaches that governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man. If government exists for our benefit, we have a responsibility to take part in it.”

The District Superintendent for the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Rev. Raymond Bryant, said, “Our future is not decided by someone else. It is shaped by us: by our voices, our choices, and our commitment to one another.”

And The Rev. Erin Walter of the Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry said each person’s vote is “an expression of their inherent worth and dignity.”

Voting is a matter of faith, and seeing to it that everyone’s voice is heard through that right—afforded to us by the democracy we share—is a tangible expression of our faith.

Understanding voting as a faith value is not strange, nor is it unorthodox for faith leaders to urge those in their care to exercise their right to vote. What is strange, dangerously unethical even, is for faith leaders to vilify certain people running for public office—calling them abominable—and to declare that anyone voting for those allegedly villainous candidates are themselves sinful and evil. This is not how people of faith are called to treat one another nor to speak about each other. Expressing our faith at the ballot box, we are called to vote with love; because when the love of God that hears the cries of all of God’s people guides our thoughts and actions, we are not only motivated to vote for the sake of the communities we share, we are also guided on how to vote in accordance with the greatest command: that we love one another as we love ourselves.

So, here is what I said to close my remarks at yesterday’s press conference: “Love is powerful, friends. Love is what stirs the heart of God to send Moses to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘Let my people go!’ Or as we might say to those in positions of power today, let my people vote.

“The Bible tells us that the Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. And their voices rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and God took notice of them. Then the Lord said, ‘I have observed the misery of my people; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them, because their voices have now come to me.’

“Friends, do you hear how powerful your voice is? When your voice is heard, justice is delivered and the common good is realized. So, make your voice heard. We’ve been groaning for too long under the brazen injustice of policies that keep the poor in poverty, that keep those who hunger hungry, that keep our immigrant neighbors terrorized, and that keep our public schools underfunded to the point of shutting down across this state. It’s time to cry out. And on Day One, October 19th, when early voting begins, our voices will be heard.”

So, there you have it, Beloveds. Vote with love. And not just on Election Days, but every day, may love guide us in speech and action. By this the world will know that we are Jesus’ disciples.