Concerns around the November Elections are valid, and misinformation circulating online is suggesting that voters should not return their ballots by mail this election season. Some posts urge voters to use drop boxes instead. Others imply that voting by mail may not be safe, may not count, or may be affected by court action.

Here is what Nevada voters need to know: make your voting plan now. Do not wait for rumors, memes, or a court headline to tell you how to participate. MAKE A PLAN NOW!

Nevada voters can still vote by mail. Active registered voters receive a mail ballot unless they have opted out. You may also vote early in person, use an official ballot drop box, or vote at a polling location on Election Day.

The practical guidance is simple: receive your ballot, vote it, sign the return envelope, return it early, and track it.

Nevada law allows a mailed ballot that is postmarked by Election Day to be counted if it arrives within the state’s permitted post-election window. But mailing early is still the best choice. If Election Day is approaching, use an official ballot drop box, county elections office, early-voting site, or polling location rather than risking a late return.

So, should voters use the mail or a drop box?

Use the official return method that fits your timing.

If you receive your ballot early and can mail it back promptly, voting by mail remains a secure and valid option. If the deadline is close, an official drop box or voting location may give you greater peace of mind. Either way, make a plan early and use trusted election information.

This is where people of faith can be trusted messengers.

Election misinformation spreads quickly, especially in anxious seasons. Sometimes it is intentionally false. Sometimes it is shared by people who are confused or worried. Either way, it can cause real harm when eligible voters delay, give up, or make decisions based on fear rather than facts.

LEAN encourages congregations and community leaders to share calm, accurate, nonpartisan guidance:

• Nevada voters can vote by mail, at an official drop box, during early voting, or in person on Election Day.
• Return mail ballots early.
• Sign your ballot return envelope.
• Use official drop boxes or voting locations when the deadline is near.
• Track your ballot through Nevada’s official ballot-tracking tool.
• Check information with the Nevada Secretary of State or your county elections office.
• Do not forward voting instructions from memes, screenshots, or anonymous social-media posts.

Faithful civic engagement is not about telling people how to vote. It is about helping every eligible neighbor participate freely, safely, confidently, and with accurate information.

Our Lutheran public witness calls us to care about truth, neighbor well-being, and the common good. This election season, that means resisting panic, correcting misinformation gently, and helping one another make a clear voting plan.

Make your plan. Vote early. Return your ballot on time. Track it. And help a neighbor do the same.

For official Nevada election information, visit the Nevada Secretary of State’s Elections page and contact your county elections office.

Nevada Medicaid is preparing for major federal changes under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, with new rules beginning January 1, 2027.

For some Medicaid members ages 19–64, coverage will require documenting 80 hours each month of work, school, job training, volunteering, or a combination of these activities. Medicaid renewals will also move from once a year to every six months.

Many Nevadans will be excluded or exempt, including pregnant people, seniors, people with disabilities, and parents of children age 13 and younger. Nevada also plans hardship exemptions for circumstances such as hospitalization, natural disasters, long travel for medical care, and living in a high-unemployment county.

Still, even when people qualify, more frequent paperwork and eligibility checks can create barriers to care. A missed notice, a confusing form, or difficulty documenting work should never mean losing access to a doctor, medication, mental-health treatment, or preventive care.

Nevada Medicaid serves more than 759,000 people. This is about more than a government program—it is about whether children, families, neighbors with disabilities, and people facing illness can get the care they need.

LEAN will continue to follow implementation, advocate for accessible exemptions and clear communication, and urge policymakers to protect health care for all Nevadans.

Read the story from 2 News Nevada.

Lawmakers are once again considering the SAVE America Act (S. 1383) attached to multiple legislative vehicles. Lawmakers should be aware of the challenge these attempts pose to eligible voters.

Over 10,000 messages have been sent to Congress through the ELCA Action Center to reject voting barriers, and we thank you for your continued advocacy!

Following a spring executive order targeting access to mail-in voting and removal of Election Assistance Commission leadership (EAC), ongoing litigation has renewed concern for the uncertainty voters may face this November. The order – directing the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate with the Social Security Administration in compiling state-specific lists of sensitive voter information – and recently published USPS final rule add to the concerning threats to local and state rights to administer elections. Additionally, harmful provisions from the SAVE America Act have returned, attached to multiple vehicles. This provides a timely opportunity to ask Congress to respond to these threats and oppose restricting access to voting.

The SAVE America Act (S. 1383) would create far-reaching changes to federal voting law. Changes would include adding requirements for voters to provide burdensome proof of eligibility, including documentary proof of U.S. citizenship like birth certificates, to register to vote and stricter photo identification, such as passport requirements, for casting a ballot. These changes would not make any noticeable change to election security. By making it harder to both prove eligibility and register to vote, the adjustments would disproportionately impact rural, low-income and marginalized communities, and members of Tribal Nations.

The ELCA affirms voter participation as an exercise in citizenship and condemns efforts to restrict access for all – especially low-income communities which are often left out of the election process. As developments regarding proposed changes for mail-in ballots and consideration of restrictive Voter ID legislation continue,lawmakers should be aware of the challenges these attempts pose to eligible voters.

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.

Urge your Member of Congress to oppose the SAVE America Act and vote NO on any attempt to include similar language in upcoming legislation.

Act Now!

Our advocacy takes many forms with long-term and immediate aims, and ELCA Witness in Society staff are active equipping members, building influential relationships with policy makers, networking strategically with other concerned partners, researching policy pieces and their impacts and inviting our ELCA Advocacy Network to action at impactful moments.

One timely way we can act as ELCA is to sign on with others to offer pointed comments to decision makers when developments demand.

WHAT IS A SIGN-ON LETTER

A “sign-on letter” is an advocacy tool that acts like a petition to members of Congress or other policy decision makers, often addressing an immediate issue or impending vote. Sign-on letters are drafted and circulated among organizations with similar policy goals to ask other organizations to join, showing support for a policy position or value by adding their name.

The Witness in Society team may recommend listing the ELCA as an organization on a sign-on letter. Some letters are tailored for individual sign-ons, usually by the head of an organization. In the ELCA, most individual sign-ons are done by the ELCA presiding bishop.

IMPACT OF SIGN-ONS

Sign-on letters are frequently used when swift and targeted action will have an impact on decision-makers. The aim is to provide education on an issue, articulate shared organizational values on a subject and urge the recipient to take a specific action or vote. Ecumenical and interfaith sign-on letters summarize broad consensus in the faith community. In addition to receipt by individual members of Congress or Executive Branch officials for example, they may be used in constituent meetings and shared as public statements as well.

DECISION PROCESS

The ELCA joins sign-on letters following careful analysis by the Witness in Society team, sometimes in consultation with other staff. The Senior Director for Witness in Society makes the final determination for a sign-on. Sign-on letters require a foundation in ELCA social teaching and relevance to ELCA public policy advocacy priorities. Sign-on letters are also evaluated for accuracy of facts and the tone of the statement, seeking language that will educate or persuade, avoiding hyper-partisan or inflammatory language. Witness in Society staff are strategic about the use of sign-on letters, asking if a joint letter is the right approach at this time; how the letter will be disseminated and used to create awareness among members of Congress, the Administration and throughout the ELCA; what the impact of not signing a letter might be; and discerning whether a standalone effort from the ELCA would have greater impact at the given point-in-time or may be preferable to state distinctly the ELCA’s position.

Affordability is a not a single issue, but it touches every part of the priorities for LEAN. Affordability is not a new challenge. It is a persistent crisis that has burdened families across administrations, and today it has reached an unsustainable breaking point. For too many Nevadans, rent continues to rise beyond reach, insurance premiums are doubling, a simple cup of coffee costs nearly six dollars, heating bills climb each winter, and changes to student loan repayment add yet another strain. While wages have seen modest growth, they are no longer keeping pace with the cost of living—and economic forecasts offer little reassurance.

As a pastor, I witness these struggles every day. I meet families who are working hard yet still relying on government programs that are now being cut or restricted. I see the impacts of food insecurity, the lack of affordable housing, and the anxiety that comes from never knowing if the next bill can be paid.