Every single vote is sacred
By Sr. Simone Campbell
Last night I joined Oprah Winfrey and faith leaders from across the country on Zoom for a night of healing ahead of Election Day. For me, it was a sign of hope for our struggling democracy. In the face of immense odds during the pandemic, people across the nation have lived up to Pope Francis' "equally sacred"priorities, helping the most marginalized among us and making the world more just. Today, I am confident that work has continued in the ballot box.
In September and October, the Nuns on the Bus virtually traveled the nation, bringing together hundreds of people across the country, who are doing the most holy work of helping the most marginalized people among us. Tamer Malone with Black Leaders Organizing for Communities in Wisconsin, warned that "Because of this pandemic, a lot of people are out of a job. Kids are not in school, so now [parents are] going to have to manage either working from home and schooling their children at the same time or trying to find another job while schooling their children from home. Mental health is a big, big thing right now." Carina Jackson, the chief operations officer at Mariners Inn, acknowledged that "COVID is going to impact every area of our lives — income, health, [and] housing."
And in Michigan, we heard from Joan Ebbitt, the director of mental health counseling services at Siena Heights University, who explained that "we have lost the middle class. Everything is being squeezed and the poor get poorer and the 1% gets richer, I think that's a huge problem that's not going to change until we make some changes."
People like Joan, Carina and Tamar are doing such important work on behalf of the marginalized people all across the country. They understand how deeply the unemployed, those worried about losing their health care, or people grieving the loss of a loved one from COVID-19 are all hurting, and are desperate to have their voice heard in this election.
That's why yesterday, we worked with Nuns and Nones to organize over 500 Catholic sisters and allies to send letters to secretaries of state in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that stress the importance of counting all votes and encouraging them to ensure a fair election. It's also why 30 Catholic sisters have traveled to poll sites in the Milwaukee and Detroit metropolitan areas with election defenders, ensuring everyone eligible is able to vote. Sisters are engaged in every way to ensure that everyone's vote is counted.
The pandemic and the economic crisis that has come with it reminds us that there are people all across this country who have felt unheard for too long. Every single vote is sacred and must be cast and counted in this election, and I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that happens. And then, after the election, we are all going to stay engaged and continue to listen to our people. We will embody Pope Francis's call in Fratelli Tutti to "be ready to listen to other points of view and to make room for everyone."
[Social Service Sister Simone Campbell is the Executive Director of Network Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and leader of Nuns on the Bus. She has led six cross-country Nuns on the Bus tours focused on tax justice, health care, immigration reform, voter turnout, and mending the gaps in income and wealth inequality.]
