As you prepare to cast your vote in this historic and highly divisive presidential election, we invite you to pause and reflect on your values and commitments, and to give thanks for the opportunity to participate in this time-honored democratic rite.
Before making your way to the voting booth — entering the closed quarters of this sacred space — you may wish to read the following poetic reflections by individuals from different spiritual and ethical traditions, representing the diversity of our beloved nation.
Voting as a Gesture of Compassion
By Rev. seigen johnson
May this act of voting be a gesture of compassion,
rooted in our shared commitment to collective liberation.
May I step mindfully into this moment, with awareness that every choice I make
carries the weight of interconnection.
I vote not only for myself but for those silenced by systems of oppression,
for those making a way out of no way, and for future generations who will walk
this path after us.
In this action, may I honor the earth, communities in struggle, and the spirits
of those who came before me.
May my intentions align with justice, healing, and the flourishing of all beings,
human and more-than-human.
As I mark this ballot, may my heart be free from fear and my mind clear in discernment.
May the fruits of this practice cultivate joy, equity, and love in the wilderness
of our shared lives.
With gratitude for this opportunity to participate,
I offer this vote as a seed in the field of awakening.
Rev. seigen johnson is an ordained Soto Zen Buddhist priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. She currently serves as program coordinator for the Center for Interfaith Dialogue at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Alone in the Voting Booth, Together
By Rafi Ellenson
Haham ha’Razeem,
Wise in the Unknowable Ways of our Hearts,
bless us as we gather
each, alone, in our voting booths
yet together in this sacred duty.
Shome’a Tefilah,
Hearer of Petition,
may we listen to our conscience
as we act on the awesome responsibility
to contribute to the fate of this nation.
Yode’a Ta’alumot,
Knower of Mysteries,
may the days, weeks, and months that are to come
be a season of wholeness,
in which the decision that divides us
yields to unity.
Oseh Shalom Bimromav,
Maker of Peace in the Heavens,
bless us with peace on earth
as our votes are tallied
and our choices become fate.
And let us say:
Amen.
Rafi Ellenson is a poet and translator in the final year of rabbinic training at Hebrew College, where he is serving as the rabbinic intern for The Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership.
Insight in the Voting Booth, Peace in the Streets
By Rev. Dr. Rob Schenck
Dear God, Who Created the World and Everything in it,
May we who are the work of Your hands
use the faculties of reason You entrust to us
to make the best decision in casting our votes
for who will represent us in governing our country.
Grant us wisdom, knowledge, insight, and understanding
to assess who and what will be best for the benefit of all,
including those we find difficult to embrace or who oppose our interests.
We also humbly ask You for the peace that surpasses understanding,
no matter the outcome of this election.
In these difficult and stressful days,
allow Your peace to rule and guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus,
for we pray in His name.
Amen.
Reverend Dr. Rob Schenck is a visiting scholar of Christianity and Religious Leadership at the Miller Center for Interreligious Learning and Leadership of Hebrew College, and author of “Costly Grace: An Evangelical Minister’s Rediscovery of Faith, Hope, and Love.”
Voting with Integrity for Justice
By Jamelah Zidan
In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful –
As I prepare to participate in this election, I intend to stand firmly for justice,
as you have commanded me:
“O you who have believed, be persistent, standing firm in justice, witnesses for God . . .”
(Surah Nisa, Ayah 135)
Help me be a witness for truth and justice, to vote with integrity, to put aside personal desires. Grant me discernment and fortitude.
O God, you are the best Judge and the most Just.
Accept this deed from me and make it a means of drawing closer to You,
and your commandment of justice.
Jamelah Zidan is a restorative justice facilitator and JD candidate at Vermont Law and Graduate School. She works at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
Help Us to See You in All
By Dr. Simran Jeet Singh
Our Beloved,
Give us the strength to act with strength.
Give us the grace to act with grace.
Give us the wisdom to act with wisdom.
Help us see You in all,
One another,
Every place,
Each moment.
Help us find union with you,
As we seek to build unity in our world.
nanak naam charhdi kala
tayray bhaanay sarbat da bhalaa
(O Nanak, in your name, may we find everlasting optimism.
And in your will, may all of humanity be uplifted.)
Dr. Simran Jeet Singh is an assistant professor at Union Theological Seminary and the national bestselling author of “The Light We Give”.
