“Image-ing God” As We Vote
by Dr. Peter Bakken, Justice and Witness Coordinator
When people of faith speak in support of voting rights, we often say that everyone has right to be heard because they are persons created in the image of God. That is one way that bearing God’s image relates to our civic life. But what does it mean to “image” God? To be an image implies showing something to someone. How do we show God’s love and justice in our civic life, whether as voters, citizens, or neighbors?
Do we think about the common good and the well-being of the most vulnerable when we vote? Are we respectful and fair to those with whom we disagree? Are we considerate and thankful to those who serve our community as (for example) educators, public health workers – or elections officials?
To observe national Thank Election Heroes Day on Tuesday, April 12, the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign (a campaign of the WCC and Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice) invited people to thank their local election officials. WIVEC co-lead Rabbi Bonnie Margulis and I were part of a group of ten who brought thank you letters and a large signed poster to the Madison City Clerk’s office. Others showed up at municipal clerks’ offices in Milwaukee, Monona, Mequon and elsewhere, or sent letters and emails of thanks to election officials across Wisconsin.
In our conversation with the Madison City Clerk Maribeth and Certified Municipal Clerk, Thomas, we learned not only that many people responded to the invitation, but also that these messages of thanks were profoundly meaningful and appreciated. The thank-you letters they’d received were passed around the office and posted on bulletin boards. The messages of thanks were a balm to spirits wounded by messages of anger, hate, and suspicion. Election officials everywhere have been under incredible stress the past two years, bombarded daily with accusations of fraud and lawbreaking for trying to ensure everyone the opportunity to vote safely during a pandemic.
Our democracy is far from perfect. Laws and court rulings that make it harder to vote, disinformation, legacies of racism, and massive campaign contributions warp the electoral process, breeding mistrust, cynicism, and apathy. But if we want to make the system more inclusive and responsive, we have to use the means for change we have available. That means using our power to vote and defending everyone’s right to cast their vote and have it counted.
And it means not allowing polarizing partisan rancor to undermine our impartial, nonpartisan elections administration. For democracy to flourish, we must foster a climate of trust in and respect for the many conscientious and responsible people who manage and support our elections. And when you communicate with people in your municipal clerk’s office, or anywhere in government, remember that the person on the other end of your phone call, letter, or email is not a faceless bureaucrat or a minion of the “deep state.” They are bearers of the image of God. How can you image God to them?
