Catch a Wave

Millions of Americans no longer fully trust our elections, and the mid-term elections are on Tuesday, November 3rd. Can we fix this? We can make a meaningful impact if enough of us choose to join. After this election, we can keep building trust for all the right reasons.

While talking with faith leaders about Faith in America events this fall, I heard concern that we lack sufficient time to make this as fabulous and widespread as it needs to be. We have a vision of massive engagement to help shift us toward a culture of faith in our elections and trust in each other.

I felt regret that we didn’t have more time, and then I remembered: millennial celebrations were an extravagant worldwide affair that took well over a year to plan. The celebrations were spectacular, and watching them unfold worldwide as the sun moved around the globe reminded us that we are all on this planet together. But a year of planning isn't the only way to organize a huge event. In my eyes, even more remarkable were the worldwide anti-war protests that happened on Feb. 15th 2003, before the Iraq War started. Yes, I could be biased. I participated in organizing these protests as a co-founder of MoveOn.org.

This was a fire drill– we had a war to stop! What we didn’t fully anticipate was the snowball effect that resulted in the protests not only taking off nationally, but also wrapping around the world! All around this country and around the world, individuals and organizations took on the challenge. Massive numbers of people showed up to stand for peace. Watching these protests from around this country and around the world was stunning. The NYT reported the following day:

"Perhaps now there are two superpowers, the USA and world public Opinion”

It was a head-turning example of how people can step up in a time of need. It still breaks my heart that we failed to stop that war. Nonetheless, those February 2003 protests had valuable impacts. They show that a pressing need, coupled with doable, meaningful action, can mobilize a massive number of people. It builds community. It reminds us that together, we can be seen and make an impact.

So why now? Most people recognize that the fairness and reliability of our elections will be questioned. Concerns about the trustworthiness of our upcoming elections have become increasingly present in our media and personal conversations. Yet an overwhelming majority of people want “Free, Fair and Trustworthy” elections. Or, said another way, “Voting should be easy. Cheating should be hard.” This is the first principle of Braver Angels' Trustworthy Elections Report. We have a deep agreement and a call to action. Local communities could gather en masse to build confidence and pride in their election processes.

Yes, time is short. People are too busy. Many people feel powerless. Still, meaningful impact is possible. So why not try? Whatever momentum we can gather this year can then be leveraged to do even more next year.

The beauty of this work is that even if we don’t create the broad cultural shift we want today, each conversation and every community that gathers brings us a little closer to the connected, more trustworthy culture most everyone desires. So, if you are part of a congregation, hold a Faith in America event. If you are part of a civic group or an individual who wants to build trust in our elections, go to TrustworthyElections.US. Consider what you would like to do to join a wave of civic engagement that builds local and national trust in elections and in each other.

Joan Blades is the co-founder of Living Room Conversations and MomsRising, and an organizer of the Trust in Elections initiative for the 2026 cycle.