Bring progress abolishing the death penalty to states which allow capital punishment.

Residents of Nevada, you live in a state, so Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada encourages you to reach out to your Governor Lombardo urging no more state executions.

In 1972, the Supreme Court ruled federal and state penalty practices violated Eighth Amendment constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment. That decision reflected long-standing concerns about the historically arbitrary and discriminatory use of the death penalty, including persistent racial disparities that have disproportionately affected Black Americans. This decision was overturned in 1976, but for a moment, capital punishment was outlawed in the U.S. 

Opposition to the death penalty and support for its abolition is growing across the country with public support at its lowest level in over 50 years. Since the death penalty’s reinstatement, 14 states have abolished capital punishment either through state legislation or state supreme court decisions. New death sentences are at historically low levels, with research showing juries are less likely to select the death penalty. Governors of Calif., Pa., Ore., and Ohio, and recently Tenn. – where the death penalty remains on the books – have placed a temporary hold on executions.  

The ELCA social statement The Death Penalty reads: “The practice of the death penalty undermines any possible moral message we might want to ‘send.’ It is not fair and fails to make society better or safer. The message conveyed by an execution, reflected in the attention it receives from the public, is one of brutality and violence” (p. 4). 

Tremendous progress has been made across the U.S. toward abolishing the death penalty. However, a ban on the federal use of the death penalty does not prohibit individual states from using capital punishment. The momentum is with states to halt its use.  

If you reside in one of the 27 states where the death penalty is still utilized, urge your governor to commute the sentences for those on death row to life in prison, to place a moratorium on capital punishment during their tenure and work toward abolishing the death penalty in their state. Customize the action alert with your own words.

Contact your lawmakers today. Customize your message with your experiences and values.

Find your Member of Congress Here

Senator Catherine Cortez Mastro, 202-224-3542, https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/

Senator Jackie Rosen, 202-224-6244, https://www.rosen.senate.gov/

Rep. Dina Titus, (202)-225-5965, https://titus.house.gov/

Rep. Mark Amodei, (202)-225-6155, https://amodei.house.gov/

Rep. Susie Lee, (202)-225-3252, https://susielee.house.gov/

Rep Steven Horsford, (202)-225-9894, https://horsford.house.gov/

If you would like to schedule time with your legislator, please reach out to Pastor Paul,and he is willing to work with ELCA Advocacy Partners to secure a time.

Act Now!

World Day Against the Death Penalty is observed annually on Oct. 10. Rooted in God’s intention for a just society and in faithful response to the call of Jesus to mercy and reconciliation, the ELCA teaches that the death penalty undermines the sacredness of life and human dignity by perpetuating cycles of violence and injustice. Urge your lawmakers to support the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act (H.R.8940/S.4608) to end the federal use of capital punishment. 

The ELCA social statement The Death Penalty calls Christians to pursue restorative justice that seeks healing, accountability, reconciliation, and the possibility of transformation for both victims and offenders. Rather than relying on retribution ELCA social teaching emphasizes:

• Seeking restorative justice, following the example of Jesus in Matthew 5:38-39 and John 8:3-11, and through our ministries with people affected by violent crime.
• Acknowledging the historic and ongoing injustices that render the death penalty incapable of being justly administered.
• Recognizing that the death penalty has failed to deter violence or make society safer, and by continuing its use, we send a message of brutality and perpetual violence.

While the ELCA teaches that the state’s responsibility under God is to protect citizens and maintain justice, this does not mean governments have an unchecked right to take life. Bipartisan opposition to the death penalty has grown, and public support for the death penalty is at its lowest in over 50 years. Now is the time to end the use of the federal death penalty in the United States.

Urge your lawmakers to uphold the values of mercy, accountability and human dignity by supporting the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act. Customize the Action Alert with your own words.

Contact your lawmakers today. Customize your message with your experiences and values.

Find your Member of Congress Here

Senator Catherine Cortez Mastro, 202-224-3542, https://www.cortezmasto.senate.gov/

Senator Jackie Rosen, 202-224-6244, https://www.rosen.senate.gov/

Rep. Dina Titus, (202)-225-5965, https://titus.house.gov/

Rep. Mark Amodei, (202)-225-6155, https://amodei.house.gov/

Rep. Susie Lee, (202)-225-3252, https://susielee.house.gov/

Rep Steven Horsford, (202)-225-9894, https://horsford.house.gov/

If you would like to schedule time with your legislator, please reach out to Pastor Paul,and he is willing to work with ELCA Advocacy Partners to secure a time.

Act Now!

A message from Presiding Bishop Yehiel Curry:

Dear church,

My heart was troubled by the recent proposal to livestream an execution in the United States.  I am thankful that this plan has now been cancelled. The deliberate taking of a human life should never become a public spectacle. Such actions risk deepening the wounds of victims’ families, loved ones and communities while further desensitizing us to violence. Our society is diminished when violence is conflated with entertainment. Because of our ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21), this church opposes the death penalty and the recent plans for public display of the execution of Nidal Hasan.

As a church, we are not strangers to the mournful effects of violent crime. Our congregations minister to victims, to offenders and to communities that experience the ripple effects of its trauma. We recognize the need to protect people from violence, to call perpetrators to repentance, and to seek restoration for victims. United in our resistance to hate and in our joy over the good news of God’s grace, we minister to an often-vengeful society with words and actions of hope, justice and healing.

The 1991 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted the social statement The Death Penalty, demonstrating this church’s early opposition to capital punishment. That opposition is grounded in a long tradition of Christian theology and teaching. The social statement calls the church “to respond to violent crime in the restorative way taught by Jesus (Matthew 5:38-39) and shown by his actions (John 8:3-11).” It states that the death penalty’s continued use perpetuates cycles of violence, undermines the possibility of repentance and restoration, and binds our society more deeply to brutality rather than reconciliation. It fosters suffering rather than ends it, as we saw in the attempted execution of Christa Pike.

The statement affirms that God ordains government to be a source and guarantor of safety and justice. Abundant research shows that the death penalty does not give us safety or justice. It does not provide healing to victims’ families or safety for the broader community. It does not deter future crimes. It does not serve the ends God calls government to serve, nor does it reflect the kind of society we are called to be.

We hold in prayer all who are impacted by violent crime, including victims, families, workers in law enforcement and corrections, and those accused or convicted of violent crimes. We give thanks for prison chaplains and ministries that accompany people through suffering and that witness to the possibility of redemption.

I invite you to talk with people in your community about the death penalty. Let our churches continue to be spaces for respectful, faithful dialogue about moral issues. Study the ELCA’s social statements The Death Penalty and The Church and Criminal Justice: Hearing the Cries together. Be part of the whole church’s witness in society to urge public officials to work toward abolishing the death penalty, including support for the Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act. Together let us build a society that keeps us safe from violence, reflects God’s compassion, honors the dignity of every person and demonstrates that God is always working for and toward abundant life..

In Christ, 

The Rev. Yehiel Curry

Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America 

As the first week of Early Voting comes to a close, nearly 284,836 Nevadans had already voted as of Thursday evening.

Turnout is ahead of the 2022 midterms, but many Nevadans still have not cast their ballots. Nonpartisan voters make up a substantial part of Nevada’s electorate, and turnout in Clark County, Washoe County, and rural communities can shape who participates across the state.

Lutheran Engagement and Advocacy in Nevada encourages you to make a plan and vote. Your voice matters.

Tuesday, October 27th is the last day to mail in your ballot for the 2026 General Election! This will ensure that your ballot arrives by election day and can be tabulated on time.

Friday, October 30th is the last day of Early Voting in Nevada.

LEAN recommends that you mail back your ballot at least 7 days prior to election day, to ensure it is received by the county in time. The United States Post Office recommends 7 days for returning ballots by mail, which is first class mail. Postage is pre-paid so all you have to do is drop your signed and sealed ballot envelope in the mail.

In a previous post, we shared information received from the Washoe County Elections Office regarding ballots that were received after the Election Day during the grace period but were post markrked after Election Day.

If you are not voting by mail, or can’t get your ballot in the mail on time, don’t worry! Election day is on November 3rd, and you can vote in person or drop off your mail-in ballot at a polling place. Click here to locate your voting location.

For more information on the upcoming Nevada Election, Nevada Secretary of State Office, or find your county’s election information on the Secretary of State’s website.