Faith leaders from Eastern and Central Washington gathered in front of the Thomas S. Foley Federal Courthouse in Spokane on Tuesday to advocate for voting rights and democratic elections.
They held a press conference to speak out about federal attempts to change election procedures and seize state-held voter information, declaring the actions a violation of human dignity.
The 18 leaders who gathered in Spokane carried signs with messages including “Hands Off Our Votes,” “Count Every Vote,” and “Our Vote. Our Voice. Our Power.”
The press conference was organized by a collaboration including the Rev. Kimmy Meinecke from St. David’s Episcopal Church in Spokane and the interfaith group Faith Action Network.
“We are here as leaders of various faith communities in Spokane and Pend Oreille counties, representing leaders from many faith traditions across Eastern Washington — Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Unitarian and Christian — to raise our moral voices together in support of the free and democratic voting rights which all citizens of the United States of America have, as guaranteed in the United States Constitution and the amendments,” Meinecke said.
Other faith leaders who spoke during the conference referenced the federal government’s attempts to undermine election confidence through misinformation, legislative action and threats.
“The care and protection for the most vulnerable among us is being withdrawn, and false claims of non-citizen voting are threatening our rights to free and fair elections. We won’t stand for this,” said the Rev. Emily Kuenker, the pastor of Grace Commons in Spokane.
“What we’re seeing recently is not confusion. It’s a deliberate movement by those in power to prevent voting, especially by those who might have a different political view,” Bishop Gretchen Rehberg, who oversees the Episcopal Diocese in Spokane, wrote in a statement that was read out loud by the Rev. Dr. David Gortner, rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Rehberg said that her faith directs her to recognize and protect “the dignity of all people, and to protect the most vulnerable.” In a democracy, she said, this means protecting citizens’ right to vote in fair elections.
“As a follower of Jesus, I believe every single human being is made in the image of God, of inherent worth and dignity, a sibling whom I am commanded and expected to love. I believe that we are created for and in community, and that anything that diminishes the value of another diminishes me,” Rehberg said.
Karen Stromgren, executive director of Muslims for Community Action and Support in Spokane, talked about her family’s experiences facing racism and Islamophobia in her community, using it to exemplify the importance of voting for public officials who will protect people’s rights.
“We have seen in Spokane Valley how the words and actions of an elected official deeply affect the marginalized community — a community that was told there was no home for their faith, my faith,” Stromgren said.
In November 2025, Spokane Valley councilwoman Jessica Yaeger shared that she was a “proud Islamaphobe” in a repost on her private Facebook account.
“Islam has no home here,” she later told the Spokesman-Review in an interview.
Stromgren did not mention Yaeger by name at Tuesday’s press conference, but appeared to reference the incident to underline the importance of voting.
“Many families have experienced racism, discrimination, hatred. It can be frightening, and it can be incredibly cruel. That is why who we elect matters,” she said.
Ven. Thubten Monlam, a Buddhist nun at the Sravasti Abbey in Newport, spoke to a similar faith-based obligation to elect leaders whose policies “represent our values of ethical conduct, kindness, love, and compassion.”
“Voting is a part of our practice of ethical conduct to refrain from harm and to benefit others,” Monlam said.
She said voting is a way to share visions and values with others while attempting to stop harm and create a “happy, harmonious society.”
She emphasized the importance of “doing our homework” by reading policies, checking endorsements and reading candidates in their own words.
“Encourage your family, friends and everyone who’s eligible to register and to vote. And no matter what you believe in — the spiritual tradition or simply the goodness of people — let’s make our voices heard and speak up for the importance of ethical leadership, including the carrying out of free and fair elections,” Monlam said.