VOTER GUIDE
On Tuesday, June 30, Faith in Public Life and Interfaith Power & Light released a voter reflection guide endorsed by prominent national faith groups and religious leaders. The guide, Democracy, Values & the 2020 Election, addresses urgent issues in the election, including voting rights, climate change, systemic racism in the criminal justice system, healthcare and immigration. The guide, which will be distributed across the country for discussion in diverse faith communities, includes topics for reflection and sample questions to ask candidates Download Full Guide Here
Download Spanish-language version of the guide, Democracia, Valores y las Elecciones de 2020
Issues and Questions
Democracy and Voting Rights (Page 1)
This election is more than a choice between parties and ideologies. An even more fundamental question is at stake: Can we preserve democracy in the face of serious threats to fair elections and fundamental rights?
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- How do you see democratic values at risk today?
- How do systemic barriers to voting undermine our most sacred democratic values?
- How can your faith community better advocate for stronger voter protections at the state and local level?
- As a candidate, what are your specific plans for protecting and strengthening voting rights?
Protecting God’s Creation Climate Justice for our Children and World (Page 2)
As people of faith, we believe that responding to the urgent threat of climate change is essential to caring for God’s creation and loving our neighbors. Human activity, primarily the burning of fossil fuels for energy, has thrown
nature out of balance, polluted the air, driven thousands of species of God’s creatures to extinction, intensified catastrophic events such as wildfires and hurricanes, and threatened the lives and livelihoods of our most vulnerable brothers, sisters and neighbors around the world. Scientists tell us we have less than a decade to avoid even more catastrophic consequences.
The United States has a unique responsibility to show moral and political leadership:
- Transitioning our economy away from polluting fossil fuels toward 100% clean energy.
- Honoring the emissions-reduction commitments our nation made at the UN Conference on Climate Change in Paris in 2015, and taking additional actions needed to avert catastrophic global warming.
- Assisting developing nations— who are least responsible for climate change but most impacted by it — in coping with threats such as increased droughts, disease, and sea-level rise by sharing technology and financial support.
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- What does your faith teach about our responsibilities for the Earth and to others? How are they interdependent?
- Has your faith community made an effort to cut emissions, save energy, or practice environmental stewardship?
- As a candidate, what specific policies do you support to protect God’s Creation and secure a safe climate for our children and future generations?
Loving Our Immigrant Neighbors (Page 4)
Scripture repeatedly makes clear that immigrants must be treated with dignity. Policies that rip children from their parents’ arms, lock people away in inhumane conditions, and ban desperate families from entering the country
should keep us awake at night. As people of faith, we believe that the way we treat our immigrant neighbors is a sign of how we treat God.
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- How can we replace immoral immigration policies that tear families apart and cause trauma with an immigration system that values families and affirms the dignity of allv people?
- What can we do to heal the wounds inflicted on immigrant communities by political rhetoric that portrays them as a dangerous “other?”
- If there are immigrants in our community who are feeling isolated and under threat, how can we show support and build connections?
- As a candidate, what will you do to defend the dignity of all immigrants, and how will you further policies that keep families together?
The Last Shall Be First An Economy of Inclusion (Page 5)
Our economic systems should work for all Americans, not only the wealthiest few. This is a matter of justice and
human dignity. All religious traditions recognize that charity is essential to care for the most vulnerable, but helping our neighbors in poverty also compels us to address its root causes. “Charity is no substitute for justice withheld,” St. Augustine observed centuries ago.
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- What can we do to ensure that all Americans are able to provide for their families and live with security and dignity?
- How do we create a just tax system that is fair to all Americans, including working families who are trapped in poverty?
- Why does the United States lag behind most developed countries when it comes to providing paid sick leave and paid family leave?
- As a candidate, what are your specific plans to ensure workers have living wages and economic security while the coronavirus pandemic continues, as well as for the long term?
More Health Policies in a Time of a Pandemic (Page 7)
Despite our nation’s stated values of life and equality, the United States is the only industrialized country in the world that does not guarantee its residents universal access to health care. This is a failure of political and moral imagination – especially in a time of pandemic.
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- How can people of faith be most effective in using our stories, congregations and power to advocate for health care reform?
- What do you struggle with the most when it comes to our healthcare system?
- How has the COVID-19 crisis impacted your community? What policy solutions can keep us all safe and remedy racial and economic inequalities in your community?
- As a candidate, what are your specific plans for making sure that quality,
affordable health care is available for all?
Restorative Racial Justice (Page 9)
Justice and redemption are at the very heart of faith. Restorative justice begins with listening to and empowering communities that have been exploited, excluded and denied equal representation and freedom. The evil ideology of
white supremacy shaped our nation from its founding and continues to impact policies and communities today, especially in the criminal justice system. The killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and so many other Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color, has provoked a growing, multi-racial moral movement for accountability and systemic reforms for racial justice.
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- How can we dismantle the evil ideology of white supremacy in our culture and political systems?
- What can be done to end racial profiling and police violence against people of color?
- What steps can be taken to ensure formerly incarcerated people have voting rights and fair access to employment?
- As a candidate, what will you do to ensure racial justice is prioritized in the criminal justice system?
- How do we build safe communities for everyone, particularly people of color?
Made in the Image of God: Respecting the Dignity of LGBTQ People (Page 11)
All people have inherent dignity because everyone is created in the image of God. Our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender family members, neighbors and co-workers deserve equal rights, and to live without fear or discrimination.
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- How can your faith community more fully support the equal dignity of LGBTQ people in your state and local area?
- What are the greatest threats to LGBTQ people in your community and the nation?
- As a candidate, what are your specific plans to ensure that LGBTQ people have equal rights and are treated with dignity
The Global Common Good: We’re All in This Together (Page 12)
What does it mean to love our neighbors as ourselves in a globalized world? The health and future of our country and
communities are interconnected to the health and security of other nations. Our fates are bound up in what Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., called “an inescapable network of mutuality.”
Questions for Reflection and Candidates
- What policies do you think are most important for creating security for your family and community?
- What role should the United States play in the world to help build global peace and security?
- How can your faith community advocate for policies to create a more peaceful world?
- As a candidate, what programs and policies would you prioritize to help build secure communities and a peaceful world?
Valentine weekend advocacy updates
/in Actions, Campaigns, Faithful Citizenship, Featured Articles, NEWS, NM Legislature /by adminFederal Action from National IPL—Deadline, Feb 22.
New Mexico Action
Climate Can’t Wait Petition
/in Actions, Faithful Citizenship, Featured Articles, NEWS /by adminShare this Facebook post and email the petition to your community. The signing deadline is February 23rd.
Community, conservation groups unified in opposition to fossil gas hydrogen bills
/in Actions, Campaigns, Faithful Citizenship, Featured Articles, NEWS, NM Legislature /by adminCommunity, conservation groups unified in opposition to fossil gas hydrogen bills
Prominent community and conservation groups today responded to ongoing legislative maneuvering to promote fossil-fueled hydrogen in New Mexico with taxpayer subsidies.
The New Mexico House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee tabled the Hydrogen Hub Development Act (HB4) due to its shortcomings on Jan. 27. This past weekend, Speaker Egolf resurrected HB4) in “dummy bill” HB227 and set it on a track to be considered only by the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, which bill sponsor Rep. Lundstrom controls. That legislative maneuver invited swift backlash as an attempt to circumvent public engagement and proper consideration by the appropriate committees and, on
A House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee poll attended by nearly 300 people showed 73% opposition from the public to the original Hydrogen Hub Development Act, HB4. While the new fossil gas bill, HB227, makes changes to HB4, the thrust of the bill remains the same: It would provide fossil gas hydrogen developers and investors with hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies. This includes the Blackstone Group, which at roughly $881 billion is the world’s largest hedge fund, and, through Tallgrass Energy, acquired a 75% stake in the Escalante fossil-gas hydrogen project. At 3pm on Feb. 7 at the close of the floor session, Speaker Egolf removed HB227 from the House Appropriations and Finance Committee and placed it on the Speaker’s table, “where it will remain for the remainder of the session,” he said.
A similar bill, SB194, would change the state’s definition of “renewable energy” to encompass fossil gas hydrogen and is scheduled for consideration by the Senate Conservation Committee on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Opponents to the various fossil gas hydrogen bills working their way through the New Mexico legislature have identified myriad problems that cannot be remedied in a rushed 30-day legislative session including:
“The administration’s and legislature’s approach to fossil gas hydrogen remains fatally and conceptually flawed,” said Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center. “Fossil gas hydrogen remains an imprudent state investment. It risks locking in ever more carbon-intensive fossil fuel infrastructure at precisely the moment we urgently need to stabilize and diversify our revenue base and economy away from boom-and-bust oil and gas cycles.”
“We should be creating a future that our children can thrive in and be proud of,” said Demis Foster, executive director of Conservation Voters New Mexico. “New Mexico can have a diversified economy that works for all New Mexicans and that reflects our shared fundamental values of respect for our people and our air, land, water, and wildlife. New Mexico’s transition to a clean energy economy can create jobs that we would want for our children and grandchildren: jobs with good pay and advancement opportunities. The wind, solar, technology, and restoration industries can provide these jobs without worsening the climate crisis.”
“Oil and gas pollution disproportionately harms people of color, women, Tribal and land-based communities, immigrants, low or no-income earners, and communities dependent on extractive industries,” said Jessica Keetso, Tó Nizhóní Ání community organizer. “The Navajo Nation suffers some of the worst methane emissions and air pollution nationwide. Navajo people in these communities struggle with higher cancer risks, aggravated asthma, more emergency room visits, and missed school days. The fossil gas hydrogen bills would only worsen public health.”
“The oil & gas industry currently enjoys $20 billion per year in direct federal tax subsidies. Adding millions more in New Mexico state subsidies flies in the face of the ‘code red for humanity’ warning from the 2021 AR6 IPCC report on the climate crisis,” said Tom Solomon of 350 New Mexico. “The oil and gas industry must be committed to a managed decline, not propped up with New Mexico tax dollars.”
“The tax breaks in the bill run counter to the League’s desired tax policy principles of adequacy, efficiency, and equity,” said Hannah Burling, president of the League of Women Voters of New Mexico. “The increasing cost of tax expenditures means revenues may be insufficient to cover growing, recurring obligations.”
“The hydrogen concept currently being portrayed in New Mexico relies on fossil fuels and unproven carbon capture technologies that would worsen climate impacts and subsidize the fossil fuel industry,” said Mike Eisenfeld of San Juan Citizens Alliance. “Investments should be in the post-fossil fuel economy of the Four Corners region with community input.”
“We must pause on hydrogen development until we fully understand the complete impact of all hydrogen theories on our land, air and sacred water. As laws and regulations are developed, transparency is key in any democracy. Free, prior and informed consent is also key for voter education and key to obtaining voter support and buy-in for any proposed legislation that will affect their lives,” said Terry Sloan, director of Southwest Native Cultures. “Meaningful consultation and collaboration by our lawmakers are also key as it implies caring, empathy and moral and ethical intent for the good of the people. I love our New Mexico mountains, deserts, rivers and lakes and the fresh air we breathe. Keep our New Mexico democracy strong by informing us of all legislation, including amendments in a timely and respectful manner and allow for meaningful constituent consultation and collaboration and remember, New Mexico is a Sacred Site on Mother Earth.”
“Now is the time to open new doors to an economy where all communities thrive and New Mexico’s air, land, water, and wildlife are protected. Fossil gas hydrogen doesn’t fit the bill. In the final weeks of the legislative session, we urge the New Mexico legislature to focus on meaningful climate action,” said Kurt Gutjahr, CAVU executive director.
“The carbon capture and sequestration that HB227 developers rely on is not commercially available, and, as the Albuquerque Journal reported, the two “carbon-capture” hydrogen facilities in operation are emitting far more carbon pollution than they’re capturing,” said Camilla Feibelman, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter director.
“”Frontline community members in the Permian Basin know that regulation is scarcely enforced in our region and that methane pollution is and will continue to be a huge problem harming the health of our planet and communities in Southeast New Mexico,” said Kayley Shoup, community organizer with Citizens Caring for the Future. “That is why we stand firmly against incentivizing Hydrogen Production that utilizes natural gas and increases upstream methane emissions. Any claim that Blue Hydrogen is clean is simply a myth.”
“The New Mexico Environmental Law Center joins with many other environmental groups on sharing our deep concerns regarding the hydrogen bills, which are a false solution to the climate crisis,” said Virginia Necochea, executive director of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center. “These bills would likely increase New Mexico’s continued dependence on oil and natural gas rather than investing in renewable energy, despite ongoing environmental health impacts. Any solution to the climate crisis must center those most impacted by environmental contamination and amplify the voices of communities who bear the brunt of the environmental policies that may harm them.”
“An investment in blue hydrogen consigns frontline community members like my family and me to a fossil fuel future because blue hydrogen is not a stepping stone to green hydrogen,” said rancher Don Schreiber of Devil’s Spring Ranch. “Blue hydrogen is a stepping stone to another 30 years of methane pollution on our doorsteps and in our faces.”
“This is nothing short of a corrupt giveaway to the fossil fuel industry,” said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director for WildEarth Guardians. “Saying climate destroying oil and gas is ‘clean’ is outright deceitful and a danger to New Mexico’s efforts to confront the climate crisis.”
“Indigenous, youth and frontline grassroots organizations came together today at the Santa Fe legislature to denounce the reintroduction of hydrogen. In our press statement, we nodded to the fact that our participation in democracy was undermined and that the people showed much opposition to all forms of hydrogen. We will not tolerate being ignored or not invited to the table about ‘climate solutions’ that continue the fossil fuel industry of New Mexico. Pueblo Action Alliance is against all false solutions and will continue to educate Pueblo and Indigenous communities about the harms of hydrogen production that utilize our sacred water resources” said Julia Bernal, director of Pueblo Action Alliance.
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