As we approach the 2026 General Election, Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada wants to help Lutherans across our state become informed and faithful participants in our democracy.

Over the coming weeks, we will be taking time to look at the candidates running for Nevada’s statewide constitutional offices and their publicly stated positions on issues addressed by ELCA Social Statements, Social Messages, and other adopted church teaching.

This is not an endorsement of any candidate or political party.

Instead, our goal is to provide a resource that allows Lutherans to ask deeper questions:

The ELCA has adopted social teaching addressing many of the issues facing Nevada today, including:

Economic life and poverty

Economic dignity:

What responsibility does Nevada have to ensure that economic growth benefits everyone, not simply businesses and those who already have economic security? The ELCA’s Sufficient, Sustainable Livelihood for All calls for economic activity that advances human well-being, pays particular attention to people experiencing poverty, and remains sustainable for future generations. 

Housing:

Is housing primarily a market commodity, or does government have a responsibility to ensure that people can obtain safe and affordable shelter? LEAN believes secure housing is foundational to people’s ability to access employment, health care, education, and other necessities. 

Education:

What does Nevada owe its children regardless of their ZIP code, family income, or background? ELCA teaching calls for broad access to high-quality education and specifically supports equitable, sufficient, and effective funding for public schools. 

Creation, energy, and data centers:

Who should bear the costs of Nevada’s economic development? As data centers increase demands on electricity, water, and land, Lutheran teaching invites us to consider not only economic growth but sustainability, environmental justice, and our responsibility to future generations.

Democracy:

Should voting policy emphasize additional safeguards against potential fraud, greater access to the ballot, or some combination of both? How do we protect confidence in elections while ensuring eligible Nevadans can participate? Lutherans are called to energetic civic participation and understand that good government as something intended to serve the well-being of all. 

Criminal justice:

What is the purpose of Nevada’s criminal justice system, punishment, public safety, rehabilitation, restoration, or some combination? And how should concerns about racial and economic disparities shape those decisions? These are questions that can be examined through the ELCA’s social teaching on criminal justice, human rights, and human dignity.

We will look at candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Controller, using candidates’ own websites, public statements, voting records when applicable, and other reliable sources.

We will also connect those positions directly to relevant ELCA Social Statements and Messages.

Our purpose is not to tell you who to vote for.

Our purpose is to encourage all of us to think faithfully about how our Lutheran understanding of neighbor, justice, human dignity, creation, and the common good accompanies us into public life.

Faith does not give us a partisan checklist. It does call us to love our neighbor, seek justice, protect those who are vulnerable, and participate responsibly in the communities we share.

As Lutherans, we are called to be engaged.

As Nevadans, we have a responsibility to be informed.

And as voters, we have the opportunity to ask what our choices mean for our neighbors.

Elections can bring a lot of noise, confusion, and misinformation. That’s why voter education matters.

At Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada (LEAN), we believe faithful civic engagement begins with truth, patience, and participation.

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing an “Election Myth vs. Fact” series focused on:
• Mail Voting
• Voter ID
• Ballot Counting
• Election Security

Our goal is simple: provide calm, factual, and nonpartisan information to help Nevadans better understand how our elections work.

Healthy democracy depends on informed communities, respectful dialogue, and people who continue showing up for one another, even when we disagree.

Because democracy is not just something we inherit.
It’s something we practice together.

Access to mental health care should not depend on where you live or how long you have to wait for an appointment.

Nevada took an important step forward with AB 450, which allows licensed marriage and family therapists (LMFTs) and licensed clinical professional counselors (LCPCs) who are licensed in other states to more easily transfer their licenses to Nevada. By reducing barriers to licensure, this law helps address Nevada’s behavioral health workforce shortage and expands access to care for individuals and families across our state.

When communities have enough mental health professionals, people can receive care sooner, providers can better meet growing demand, and families are better supported during times of crisis.

Strengthening Nevada’s mental health workforce is an investment in healthier individuals, stronger families, and more resilient communities.

As wildfires continue to burn across Northern Nevada, thousands of our neighbors have faced evacuation orders and warnings. These fires are another reminder that wildfire season is not something happening somewhere else. It is happening in our communities.

Please remember to document your homes and belongings before disaster strikes. A simple cellphone video walking through your home can help create a record of what you own. But if you are told to evacuate, leave immediately. No photograph, document, or possession is worth risking your life.

For congregations and households, this is also an important moment to talk about disaster preparedness.

LEAN encourages Nevada congregations and families to:

• Know your evacuation zone and have more than one route out.
• Sign up for local emergency alerts.
• Keep important documents, medications, identification, and insurance information accessible.
• Take photos or video of your home and belongings before an emergency.
• Prepare a go-bag with water, food, chargers, clothing, medications, masks, and basic necessities.
• Make a plan for children, older adults, people with disabilities, and pets.
• Know how your congregation could communicate with members during an evacuation or prolonged power outage.
• Identify neighbors and members who may need additional help evacuating.
• Consider how your congregation could respond after a disaster through shelter, meals, supplies, pastoral care, or partnerships with community organizations.
• Review your homeowners or renters insurance and understand what wildfire coverage you have.

Preparedness is not about living in fear. It is about caring for our neighbors and recognizing that disasters often impact our most vulnerable neighbors the hardest.

As people of faith, we are called not only to respond when disaster strikes, but to build communities that are prepared, connected, and ready to care for one another.

We continue to pray for our neighbors across Northern Nevada, for those who have evacuated, those who have lost homes and property, and for the firefighters, first responders, emergency managers, volunteers, and neighbors working to keep our communities safe.

Be prepared. Check on your neighbors. And when officials tell you to evacuate, please go.

Here is a resource form ELCA Advocacy regarding speaking with the Media. As a public figure, we are often storytellers of the issues our congregants and community face.

ELCA Advocacy Resource