1,235 Poll Chaplains Plan Deployment Across Nine States

More than 1,200 clergy and lay volunteers are preparing to serve as nonpartisan poll chaplains and peacekeepers outside voting sites in nine states during the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Wearing identifying vests, hats or shirts, they aim to reassure voters, help them understand and assert their rights, and de-escalate tensions amid concerns about threats and harassment around elections. Organizers say fears that immigration agents could appear at polling places may deter eligible voters, particularly in mixed-immigration-status families and communities of color; federal officials say there are no plans for agents to be sent to the polls, though the homeland security secretary has said agents could appear for a specific reason, such as serving a warrant. Training includes immigrant-rights information and de-escalation, and the effort builds on poll-chaplain programs used in previous elections.