This guide is written for church leadership and clergy to help churches properly navigate the election process. It offers insight into what churches can and cannot do in relation to the IRS and 501(c)(3) status. It also outlines what clergy can do as representatives of the church vs as individuals. This guide offers some great perspective for congregations that wish to participate in the election process but are unsure how to do so.
Not registered to vote yet? Nevada allows same-day registration—even on Election Day.
On Tuesday, November 3, you can register and vote in person at a polling place in the county where you’re eligible to vote. Bring a current, valid Nevada DMV-issued driver’s license or ID.
If the address on your ID isn’t where you currently live, bring an additional document showing your current address, such as a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, lease, or government document.
You’ll cast a provisional ballot, which is counted after election officials verify your registration. Check with your county election office for vote center locations and hours. Make a plan, bring your documents, and make your voice heard.
Join the after-election webinar on Nov. 19 hosted by ELCA Witness in Society reflecting on both developments and the steadfast message of our Christian faith regardless of any Election Day. The “Beyond Election Day: Faithful Perspectives & Practices” webinar is grounded in a Lutheran understanding of God’s intent to work through human activity to order and provide earthly justice and enough for all.
A practical guide for voters and the neighbors helping them prepare.
Find your Election Day voting location through the official Nevada election site or your county election office. Check the location and hours before you leave.
Complete your ballot, place it in the return envelope, and sign the outside of the envelope. On Election Day, hand-deliver it to an official drop box in your county before polls close at 7:00 p.m. A ballot sent through the U.S. Mail must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the county by 5:00 p.m. Saturday, November 7.
Check registration/sample ballot
County Election Office Directory
Call or text the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). Spanish: 888-VE-Y-VOTA
(888-839-8682). Asian languages: 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683). Arabic: 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287). You can also ask an election worker for assistance at your voting location.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Nevada polling locations are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Make a plan, help a neighbor find trusted information, and make your voice heard.
OCTOBER 28, 2026
Dear church,
Fannie Lou Hamer was a powerful Black woman who risked her life so that all people could exercise their right to vote. After attempting to register to vote in Mississippi in 1962, she faced violent retaliation, enduring threats, beatings and intimidation. Yet she continued to sing, testify, march and organize for equal voting rights for all people. She was not wealthy. She did not hold a high public office. Yet she exercised a profound public vocation, insisting she and her neighbors had the right to participate in civic life and to have the food, land and opportunity needed to flourish. She was a patriot who loved her country enough to challenge it to live up to its promise that every voice matters and every vote counts. By risking her own safety in the struggle for democracy, Hamer acted as a patriot, calling public leaders to serve everyone.
The airwaves are full of conflicting messages about patriotism, and many of you have written with your own questions and perspectives.
Together, this is what our church has decided to say:
“The ELCA understanding of civic life and faith affirms healthy forms of patriotism. Patriotism is to love one’s country, to pray for its well-being, to be committed to its success, to have a sense of pride in it, to criticize it, and to work for its reform when necessary. All of these can be elements of how Christians and their communities live out discipleship as individuals and in corporate bodies” (2025 social statement Faith and Civic Life: Seeking the Well-being of All).
Healthy patriotism celebrates what is good and beautiful in our common life while remaining committed to tending to what is wounded and broken. Healthy patriotism fosters a sense of shared belonging because the strength of our nation lies in our ability to live together as diverse people who share a common future.
As Lutherans, we can live out healthy patriotism. We understand the government is called to serve and protect the common good. We exercise patriotism in part by holding public leaders accountable to serve the common good.
How should public leaders act? After Martin Luther wrote a commentary about Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), he sent it to the local prince along with a cover letter, telling him to follow the example of Mary the mother of Jesus. It was not common for monks to address princes in this way. Yet Luther wanted the prince to know Mary was a true leader. She trusted God with an open heart and allowed the Holy Spirit to work through her for the sake of others. She did this, not for her own fame or renown, but with humility and grace. Luther’s emphasis on the marks of leadership rings true today.
As Lutherans, we continue to make this connection between trusting God and serving the common good.
Both Luther and Hamer remind us that positions of responsibility and public service are gifts to be used for the good of all, and that societies thrive when leaders and neighbors alike are guided by humility, gratitude and a concern for others.
As Election Day approaches, we can approach this responsibility with prayerful hearts and a commitment to the flourishing of all people. In all that we do, may we embody a patriotism rooted in gratitude, shaped by humility, strengthened by hope and guided by Christ’s command to love our neighbors, working so that every voice can be heard and every person can participate in shaping our future. May we care for one another and our country enough to serve faithfully, speak truthfully and seek our common good. Like Hamer, may we take up our vocations in public life. And may Mary’s song remind us that above all, our hope rests not in human strength, but in the steadfast love of God.
In Christ,
The Rev. Yehiel Curry
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
