Every state in the nation needs both the resources and proper mandate to put in place measures and policies that will enable a free, fair and safe election, especially in light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. No citizen should have to choose between their health and the exercise of their right to vote.

NAE President Walter Kim and NAE Vice President Galen Carey joined with 20 other Christian leaders in encouraging members of Congress to include sufficient funds in the next CARES Act that would enable states to prepare for the 2020 primary and general elections.

Kim said, “As Christians, we believe in a just society that preserves the dignity and promotes the voice to its citizens. The disruptions of COVID-19 must be met with a vigorous effort to maintain the right to vote and ensure a free, fair, and fully participatory election.”

The letter urges members of Congress to include $4 billion in additional funding to promote expanded voter registration opportunities, in-person early voting, no-excuse absentee voting by mail, voter education, and safe in-person voting on Election Day across every state. The letter opens:

We believe that each person, and therefore each voter, is made in the image of God and that any effort to discourage or suppress their vote assaults their human dignity and undermines our democracy. The right to vote and people’s ability to exercise that right is fundamental to the health and integrity of our democracy and country. As Christian leaders who represent and lead a broad cross-section of the church across the country, we also believe that voting is a sacred right and commitment, particularly given our nation’s long struggle to extend the right to vote to every eligible citizen regardless of factors such as race and gender.