A multifaith coalition says more than 1,200 trained volunteers will serve outside polling places in nine states, including Pennsylvania, on Nov. 3 to help voters feel safe and calm if tensions rise.
Faiths United in Saving Democracy, a nonpartisan coalition of religious and secular organizations, had recruited 1,235 poll chaplains and peacekeepers as of Oct. 19, The Associated Press reported. Volunteers are expected in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.
The volunteers include clergy members and lay people from several religious traditions. They are being trained to remain outside polling centers, wear identifiable hats or vests, and offer a reassuring presence without interfering with election workers.
Organizers say the effort responds to concerns that heated races, political threats and uncertainty about immigration enforcement could discourage some people from voting. Co-founder Barbara Williams-Skinner told AP that “2026 is going to be different” because of those fears.
Training includes de-escalation and information about voters’ rights. Organizers told AP the volunteers will remain outside poll centers, where they can offer reassurance and help defuse tense encounters while election workers manage voting inside.
Pennsylvania is one of the nine states where the coalition plans to deploy volunteers, but the organization’s public materials do not identify specific Adams County polling places. Voters should continue to rely on their county election office for polling locations and election procedures.
Election workers remain responsible for administering voting and handling problems at the polls. The volunteers are intended to complement that work by offering support outside the voting area, rather than replacing official channels for reporting violations.
The coalition says the chaplain effort builds on earlier election-protection work by faith leaders. Its next test comes on Election Day, when volunteers will be present at participating sites across the nine states.