Request an Absentee Ballot for the Primary Election in New Mexico

In these days of social distancing, we are being encouraged to cast our ballots by mail for the primary election and probably the general election too.  If you haven't requested an absentee ballot, the Secretary of State offers this easy way to do so.  Request your absentee ballot

The election is officially scheduled for June 2, but absentee ballots must be requested by May 28. All absentee ballots may be returned by mail (with postage already paid for by the state) to your County Clerk’s Office, or in-person at an alternative voting location, mobile alternative voting location, or any Election Day polling location no later than 7pm on June 2, 2020.  Questions? Consult the Secretary of State's FAQ.

Who is Running

The Secretary of State also provides a list of every single person who has qualified for the ballot in all federal, state and local elections, from the presidential and congressional races to the state legislative and county commission elections.

These are primary elections open only to voters who have registered for qualified political parties, which in New Mexico are the Democratic, Libertarian and Republican Parties. Voters will be casting ballots for members of their own parties.

Some primary elections are uncontested, but others have drawn multiple candidates (particularly those where a seat has become vacant due to a retirement).

Some candidates listed in the presidential primary (and possibly other races) have already withdrawn from the election but their names will still be listed in the ballot.

Here is the full list of candidates for all elections and all political parties.

Happy Voting!

Nuns on the Bus in New Mexico: Call to Action and a Listening Session

Whenever Sister Simone Campbell and the sisters and laity that travel with her come to your community, you expect a motivational speech urging us to stand for the poorest among us and to speak truth to power.

To be sure, Sister Simone, founder of the Nuns on the Bus campaign, rallied folks at the Roundhouse at the 10th Annual Witness for the People gathering in Santa Fe on Wednesday and to a couple of hundred people gathered at St. Therese Little Flower Parish later that evening. 

A few of the people gathered at St. Therese

'Minding the Gap'
At St. Therese, Sister Simone spoke about our nation's disparities and the unfair nature of our economy. The disparities are exacerbated by a system of taxation that is overwhelmingly favorable to the wealthiest individuals and detrimental to working families and those at the bottom of the economy.

Our call as people of faith and conscience, she said, was to become aware of the gap and act accordingly. (She alluded to a term used in the subway system in London urging us to "mind the gap)

To illustrate the scope of the problem, Sister Simone asked for seven volunteers to represent people from different income groups, from the poorest of the poor to the One percent. The exercise served to illustrate the gap between the haves and have-nots, as well as the challenges facing each group, including the middle class.

According to Sister Simone, our efforts are important to ensure that the needs of the 100 percent (all members of society) are taken into account. "We have chosen inadvertently or intentionally to support the top One Percent," Sister Simone said in describing our economic policies over the past several decades.

Three Virtues
In discerning our response to the challenge around us, Sister Simone recommended three virtues we must follow: holy curiousity (listen to the stories of people around you), sacred gossip (where you tell about the stories that you've heard and let folks know that there are situations that are unacceptable) and joy (we have to find joy in this in engagement)

Here is a 10-minute video of a small portion of Sister Simone's presentation at St. Therese.

Roundtable discussion at Second Presbyterian Church

Exercising Holy Curiousity
While a visit from Nuns on the bus is often associated with efforts to rally the community and hold politicians accountable, Sister Simone and others involved with NETWORK also come to listen and learn more about the issues affecting the people who live in a given state.

This year, NETWORK has launched a campaign to connect with people in states with high rural populations, and New Mexico was chosen as the first stop.

At a roundtable discussion at Second Presbyterian Church with representatives of several groups with connections to the community. Sister Simone listened and questions. This discussion was held on the Tuesday evening before the rally in Santa Fe.

Many topics were discussed in Albuquerque, including our very inequitable system of taxation and the resulting disparity in income, the legacy of colonialism and exploitation, the existence of food deserts, the challengers for working families in rural and urban areas, environmental racism against Native peoples and poor communities, the legacy of nuclear testing in our state, and much more.

Sister Simone and NETWORK plan to repeat the process in Minnesota, Ohio and Missouri through March, and possibly in Pennsylvania and Indiana in subsequent months.

"Here in New Mexico we have such a diverse heritage that it's really a rich opportunity to witness to the rest of the nation the capacity to have a conversation and engagement among indigenous communities, (people of) Spanish heritage as well as white Anglo folks...that have come from the East mostly as well as the Mexican and Central American family...You all have the opportunity  That is probably one of the biggest needs of our society to know that we are all one..that  we are interdependent."

Bread For the World President Urges You to Vote

Dear Bread members and supporters:

Elections matter, especially for people of faith. The scriptures underscore the importance of good governance and show that wise leaders uphold justice and the common good.

The leaders we elect this year will make decisions that impact people who struggle with hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world.    Get Election Resources

Voting is an act of Christian stewardship — an important use of the gift of discernment. It is also our fundamental right of living in a democracy. We must seize this opportunity to elect leaders who will put us on track to end hunger by 2030.

By raising your voice, you show there is a large constituency ready to advocate for change in the service of God.

Click here to find your polling place. 

Now, go vote to end hunger!

Sincerely,
Rev. David Beckmann
President, Bread for the World

Making Hunger a Priority at the Ballot Box

What do Islamic Relief USA, MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and the Jesuit Social Research Institute have in common? They are among the dozens of organizations that endorsed the Vote to End Hunger campaign. This is an effort led by the Alliance to End Hunger, Feeding America, FRAC, No Kid Hungry, Meals on Wheels,

 "Working together, we aim to elevate the issues of hunger, poverty, and opportunity with candidates during this election cycle through a nonpartisan voter education campaign. This campaign compliments efforts Bread for the World members are already doing to ensure hunger is a key issue in the 2018 midterm elections."

Individuals can also participate in the campaign.  

Here is how.

1. Sign up for email communications from the campaign.
2. Register for a special Vote to End Hunger webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, September 5 at 2:00 p.m. EDT.

This November, Pledge to End Hunger

House Candidates Discuss Immigration, Poverty at Forum in #ABQ

Davis, Arnold-Jones, Princeton (standing), Lara, Haaland, Sedillo Lopez, Moya, Martinez (off frame)

On Wednesday, May 16, the eight individuals seeking to fill the soon-to-be vacant New Mexico Congressional District 1 seat in the House of Representatives participated in a discussion on immigration and other issues at First Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque. The race has drawn six Democrats (Pat Davis, Debra Haaland, Damian Lara, Damon Martinez, Paul Moya, Antoinette Sedillo Lopez), one Republican (Janice Arnold-Jones) and one Libertarian (Lloyd Princeton). The seat is currently held by Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is leaving to run for governor of New Mexico.

The forum was organized by the New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice, Among the immigration issues that were discussed were the role of local police in enforcing immigration policy, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and locations within the city where immigration enforcement personnel should not be allowed to seek undocumented immigrants.

Poverty and Economic Development
One of the "other" issues that were discussed was child poverty and poverty in New Mexico in general.  As one who works on addressing hunger and poverty in our state, our country and overseas, this was an area of particular interest. The candidates addressed this issue in a somewhat superficial manner. To be fair, they couldn't go in depth because they were given 90 seconds to make a statement.

Here are some comments that stood out for me that were directly or indirectly relevant to the Bread for the World Offering of Letters, entitled For Such a Time as This. In New Mexico, the focus of our letters is on protecting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which affect so many individuals and families in our state. Haaland addressed this issue directly. "Kids cannot learn when they're hungry," she said.  However, Martinez spoke of protecting safety net programs, and Sedillo Lopez spoke of the need to "radically expand" the earned-income tax credit (EITC), which is a position that Bread has supported.

Sedillo Lopez and Davis both spoke of the need to increase the minimum wage, although the former mentioned a specific figure: $15 per hour and then link any increases to inflation.

Another area that was discussed was education--specifically early childhood education, which the  candidates agreed could use more support. "The surest way out of poverty is to fix education," said Moya.  This was also a point of emphasis for Martinez, Sedillo-Lopez and Davis.  Lara mentioned the need to expand Headstart.

Arnold Jones addressed the need to reduce overregulation to promote economic growth in the state, while Princeton suggested that more effort should go to programs like vocational training in the state to help boost employment.

Letters to Candidates
While the forum did not lend itself to a broad discussion on hunger and poverty in New Mexico, we are hoping to raise the issue to the candidates between now and the November election.

After June 5, only one of the six Democrats will remain in the race, along with Arnold-Jones and Princeton. We hope to promote letters to the three candidates as part of our ongoing Offering of Letters efforts in New Mexico (along with continuing letters to our current House and Senate members).  The Congressional seat in the 2nd district is also open, so we may address letters to the eventual nominees seeking to replace Rep. Steve Pearce, who is also running for governor.  Stay tuned for more details.

As of May 15, four churches had written more than 500 letters to Reps. Lujan Grisham, Pearce, and Ben Ray Lujan and Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich (who is also running for re-election this year).

I was pleased to learn that the location of the congressional debate, First Presbyterian Church, is planning an Offering of Letters on May 20, a fact that Rev. Matthew Miller, pastor of the church, proudly pointed out to me. The letters written on May 20 will be dedicated on  May 27. Special thanks to Kirsten Marr for organizing this effort at First Presbyterian Church.

Field Set for Two Open Seats in House from New Mexico

When  I was up in Santa Fe on Tuesday, February 6, for End Hunger Day, I encountered Damian Lara and Pat Davis in the halls of the Roundhouse. Both were headed to or were in the vicinity of the Secretary of State's Office. Davis and Lara are two of the candidates seeking election to Congress in 2018. Debra Haaland, Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, Janice Arnold-Jones, Damon Martinez, Lloyd Princeton, and Paul Moya were probably also in the confines of the Roundhouse at some time during the day to complete the paperwork to formally register their candidacies for the seat in the First Congresional District that is being vacated by Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (who is running for governor).

The same situation applies to Madeline Hilderbrandt, Xochitl Torres-Small, Angel Peña, Monty Newman, Yvette Herrell, Gavin Clarkson, Clayburn Griffin, and John Valpato, who were in Santa Fe on Feb. 6 to formally register their candidaies toreplace Rep. Steve Pearce for the seat in the Second Congressional District.  Pearce is also running for governor.

With all candidates required to register, Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, Christopher Manning and Jerald McFall also had to go through the process to file for the seat currently held by Lujan.

The 19 candidates seeking election to the House of Representatives had to go through a three-step process to formally register their candidacies.

 "The process was straightforward—there were three stations to verify and confirm paperwork and petition signatures—and took about 20 minutes for most candidates," Andy Lyman wrote in the New Mexico Political Report.

A total of 10 Democrats, seven Republicans and two Libertarians are running for Congress, and only three will eventually succeed. At least two of the three could be new to the job, with Lujan as the only incumbent running. Of these 19 candidates, eight will be on the ballot in November following the June 5 primary in New Mexico.

Other Races
Sen. Martin Heinrich, who is seeking reelection, and his two rivals, Aubrey Dunn and Mark Rich, also had to go through the process as did Lujan Grisham, Pearce and all the other candidates seeking to run in the governor's race. Candidates for lieutenant governor, state auditor, secretary of state, treasurer, land commissioner, and attorney general were also there to complete the required paperwork.

Lyman followed some of the candidates on filing day. Read his very informative piece in the New Mexico Political Report.

Women Candidates
Of the nearly 50 candidates seeking election to Congress or statewide office, 12 are women. There are three women running in each of the races for the U.S. House: Haaland, Sedillo Lopez and Arnold-Jones in the First District and Hilderbrandt, Torres-Small and Harrel in the Second District. There are no women candidates in the races for the Third Congressional District, U.S. Senate, attorney general, or treasurer. 

Interestingly enough, all three of the candidates running for secretary of state are women: Maggie Toulose-Oliver, Sandra Jeff and Johanna Cox. That post has mostly been filled by women since 1912, although the first two secretaries of state were men. Conversely, the decision of State Rep. Stephanie Garcia Richard to leave her seat in the New Mexico State Legislature to run for land commissioner could break a precedent if elected. That position has been held by men.

Women have run as candidates for governor and lieutenant governor in recent elections, and there is one woman candidate in each of those races in 2018: Lujan Grisham for governor and Michelle Garcia Holmes for lieutenant governor. There is no chance that they would serve together, as each is from an different party, and the governor and lieutenant governor candidates run as a team representing their party. If elected, Lujan Grisham would be the second woman to hold the post, succeeding the first woman to be elected to that office, outgoing Gov. Susana Martinez. Patricia Madrid is the only woman to have served as attorney general since 1912.

The gender question is important this year. According to results in the past year, women (mostly Democrats) have been winning elections where the incumbent party was previously thought to be safe.

Two Bread Members Running for Office

"There is an unprecedented surge of first-time female candidates... running for offices big and small, from the U.S. Senate and state legislatures to local school boards. At least 79 women are exploring runs for governor in 2018, potentially doubling a record for female candidates set in 1994, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University."    -Article in Time magazine, January 18, 2018

Two members of the Bread for the World family have cast their hats into the ring. They are part of the growing trend around the country of women running for some sort of office.The entry of Dawn Buller Pierce and Angie Ruprock-Shafer into the political arena is a natural progression of their anti-hunger activism. As members of Bread for the World, Dawn and Angie were heavily involved in seeking to influence public policy. 

If they succeed in winning their elections, Dawn and Angie will be part of the process of creating public policy. Granted, much of their activism for Bread involved federal legislation (although I'm sure they were just as involved at the local level).  In their new roles, they would be having an effect on issues that are more local.  Dawn is running for Senate District 21 in Idaho and Angie is seeking a seat on the Marshall County Council in Indiana.

Oh, did I tell you that both Angie and Dawn are members of the Bread board?

Dawn Buller Pierce has created a Campaign page on Facebook. To support Dawn and to stay updated on her campaign, she invites you to Like her Page: Pierce for Senate District 21

 So, a few things that I support:
~ Medicaid expansion in Idaho
~ Gowen Field has empty and abandoned housing units. Let's fix those up and use them for homeless veterans
~ No one should be taxed into poverty
~ We cannot balance any budget on the backs of the poor  (Go to her page to see the rest of her agenda)
 

Angie Ruprock-Shafer does not have a campaign page, at least not yet. But she has let her friends on Facebook know that she is running for a seat on the Marshall County Council in Indiana.

"Filed to run for Marshall County Council today. Serving the community is my passion. I'd be honored if you'd support me. I'll work hard for your vote and for common-sense, compassionate policy that works for us ALL!!"

Rep. Lujan Grisham to Leave Congress to Run for Governor

On December 13, Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham officially announced that she is leaving her seat in Congress to run for governor of New Mexico in November 2018. Anti-hunger advocates in New Mexico hate to lose a strong ally in the House of Representatives  but Lujan Grisham still has at least a year to fight for initiatives in the House of Representatives that will help children and hungry people in our state and in our country.

Taking the SNAP Challente in 2013

Since 2012, Lujan Grisham has served on the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, which provides significant input on important human-needs programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP and and domestic commodity distribution and consumer initiatives. She also was among the first to join the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus, created by Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts and Lynn Jenkins of Kansas.
 
During her tenure in Congress, Lujan Grisham has also taken other actions to address hunger, such as seeking emergency funding for food banks and supporting the Global Food Security Act. To show how important the SNAP program is to hungry people, Lujan Grisham took the SNAP challenge along with other members of Congress. She will also be missed on the Congressional Women's softball team, which plays a rival from the Washington press corps to raise money for breast cancer programs. (She likely has one more game on the team, though).

We are pleased that Rep. Lujan Grisham is pledging to continue her anti-hunger and anti-poverty efforts closer to home. In a video announcing her candidacy, Lujan Grisham said she wants to fix persistent New Mexico problems such as high unemployment, poverty, “struggling schools,” high rates of drug addiction and “too many seniors and families who are afraid for their safety and feel left behind by the failed policies of the last six years," in reference to Gov. Susana Martinez's record in office.  Read more in Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper. The race for governor is expected to be fairly competitive, however, especially if Attorney General Hector Balderas, Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry, Lieutenant Gov. John Sanchez, and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce decide to seek the office, as rumored. 

Mary Quinalty, Rene Ronquillo with Lujan Grisham in 2011

Potential Candidates for Congress
When then County Commissioner Lujan Grisham threw her hat into the ring to represent the New Mexico First Congressional District in the House of Representatives in 2011, Bread for the World advocates were among the first to meet with the then candidate for Congress to discuss hunger issues.  We also met with four other individuals who declared for the seat, including former Mayor Marty Chavez, State Sen. Eric Griego, former State Rep. Janice Arnold Jones and City Councilor Dan Lewis.

We hope to do something similar when the field of candidates becomes more clear. The New Mexico Political Report has released a very early list of possible candidates, including State Sen. Jacob Candelaria, City Councilor Pat Davis, State Rep. Javier Martinez, outgoing State Democratic Chair Deb Haaland, Bernalillo County Commissioners Maggie Hart Stebbins and Wayne Johnson, among others. All but Johnson are Democrats, but other Republicans are likely to join the fold at a later date.

The Global Food Security Act is More Important than Ever

Remember that vote by Congress last summer to approve the Global Food Security Act? The measure was passed with strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The result of that vote takes on even greater significance with the results of the recent election. The new administration's stance on foreign aid and global poverty are uncertain. There could well be a scaling back in our international commitments. However, the GFSA is the now the law of the land, supported by huge majority of Republicans in both houses of Congress.

Photo: Joe Molieri, Bread for the World

Let me emphasize this again. The GFSA is a very important initiative. The act establishes a comprehensive strategy for the federal government to follow in all its international food-security programs. Special emphasis is placed on development efforts targeted to smallholder farmers, particularly women. It also promotes nutrition among pregnant women and newborns.

Making a Difference
Another important aspect of the GFSA is that the campaign was a collective effort led by Bread for the World. "Bread helped to build a coalition of organizations that supported GFSA, including international development and other faith-based groups. Bread and coalition partners helped educate congressional offices about the importance of GFSA and shore up support for the bill’s passage. Bread for the World and 29 other faith organizations joined InterAction, the alliance of 180 organizations working in developing countries, to present a statement of support for GFSA," Bread said in a brochure outlining the history of the advocacy efforts to approve this important act.

Here are other ways in which Bread for the World made a difference over a couple of years, ahead of the actual votes. (There were three separate votes).

• Bread for the World Institute emerged as a leading voice in the global nutrition movement.
• The Institute’s research made the case for Feed the Future— and for GFSA.
• Bread sent more than 1,000,000 emails urging its activists to contact Congress about GFSA.
• Bread educated its activists on the importance of GFSA and equipped them to advocate.
• Bread staff and activists communicated with key aides in over 100 Congressional offices to get an answer to the question, “Will you co-sponsor the Global Food Security Act?”
• Bread for the World moved 55 House members to co-sponsor the bill (out of 127 co-sponsors) and 7 Senators (out of 15 co-sponsors).
• Bread had significant contact with another 50 eventual co-sponsors.
• On their own and with coalition partners, Bread staff met directly with members of Congress to urge their support.
• As part of a final push, Bread activists called 70 members of Congress who were thought to be inclined to vote against GFSA urging them to vote “yes.”

White House Bounce House Urged Candidates to End Extreme Poverty

The recent presidential and congressional elections mobilized activists to engage with the candidates and their campaigns to ensure hunger and poverty became a priority for the next administration and Congress. From the beginning, activists were fighting an uphill battle, as candidate personalities and alleged transgressions garnered more attention and headlines than hunger and poverty during the first, second and third debates and campaign rallies. Even the local races focused on other issues.

To their credit,  many activists did everything they could to engage the candidates, including personal meetings and other actions to the Vote to End Hunger campaign and the ONE Vote16 initiative, which brought a Bounce House to selected sites around the country to bring awareness of global poverty not only to the candidates but also to voters. Here is a video of that effort led by ONE. 

Father William Byron: Voting the Beatitudes

(On election day, I share excerpts of a reflection by Rev. William Byron, S.J., about voting. The piece, entitled, "Learning to balance Beatitudes and ballot box," was the subject of his  bi-weekly column “Looking Around” for Catholic News Service syndicate more than a decade ago. Father Byron was one of several clergy who collaborated with Art Simon to create Bread for the World in 1974).

"More and more Catholic conversations are centering on religion and politics. That seems natural enough in an election year, but I’m wondering how Catholics would answer the question posed in a daily newspaper headline I saw the other day: “Does God Belong in Politics?”

“Yes, of course,” I found myself saying, “politics is people and God is in all people, so surely God belongs in politics.” Without the people, how can God’s will work in our world? If God is present in every person, how can God not be in politics?

Although there is a separation of church and state that is appropriate in the United States, there is no separation between church and society. The church, in my view, should be doing a better job communicating Gospel values to society and then trusting society to make political decisions consistent with those values.

I know of one priest who, speaking from the side of religion to the issues being debated in this year’s presidential campaign, held up the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) as a checklist.

How does a given candidate or political party fare in that comparison? Few serious faith-committed voters who are doing their best to assimilate Gospel values and bring them to life in this imperfect world will say they’ve found a perfect fit.

The church should stay out of partisan politics but not hesitate for a moment to suggest that beatitude values belong in a good society and that beatitude principles can inform the moral reasoning needed to shape solid public policies."

'I Can't Recall any Candidate Campaigning to Reduce Poverty'

Winthrop Quigley is one of those writers whose columns sometimes leave you shaking your head and other times have you nodding in full agreement with the theme and the depth of his pieces. The column in Sunday's Albuquerque Journal fits in the latter category. For, those of us who have involved in one form or another the Vote to End Hunger campaign, Quigley's column could not have stated the issue any better.

The issue of poverty (and hunger) seems to get lost in the electoral campaigns. While that's a problem anywhere in the country, the omission is even worse in New Mexico. Here are a couple of excerpts from Quigley's Oct. 30 column, entitled NM’s biggest problem needs a bigger response

Photo: Mary Singleton

The most intractable problem New Mexico faces is poverty. From low birth-weight babies to violent crime, poverty is either a cause, an effect or a complicating factor in the state’s many dysfunctions. With about as many New Mexicans receiving Medicaid as there are New Mexicans in the workforce, with almost half of our children under the age of four years receiving food stamps, there is evidence the problem is getting worse.

And yet I can’t recall a political candidate campaigning on a platform of reducing poverty. Candidates talk about bringing jobs to the state, cutting or raising taxes, imposing or opposing right-to-work legislation, reforming the schools or making New Mexico more business-friendly. Any one of these approaches might do us some good, but none of them looks at the poverty of our state in its totality.     Read full column

Three Election Prayers

Give us, O God,
leaders whose hearts are large enough
to match the breadth of our own souls
and give us souls strong enough
to follow leaders of vision and wisdom.

In seeking a leader, let us seek
more than development for ourselves—
though development we hope for—
more than security for our own land—
though security we need—
more than satisfaction for our wants—
though many things we desire.

Give us the hearts to choose the leader
who will work with other leaders
to bring safety
to the whole world.

Give us leaders
who lead this nation to virtue
without seeking to impose our kind of virtue
on the virtue of others.

Give us a government
that provides for the advancement
of this country
without taking resources from others
to achieve it.

Give us insight enough ourselves
to choose as leaders those who can tell
strength from power,
growth from greed,
leadership from dominance,
and real greatness from the trappings of grandiosity.

We trust you, Great God,
to open our hearts to learn from those
to whom you speak in different tongues
and to respect the life and words
of those to whom you entrusted
the good of other parts of this globe.

We beg you, Great God,
give us the vision as a people
to know where global leadership truly lies,
to pursue it diligently,
to require it to protect human rights
for everyone everywhere.

We ask these things, Great God,
with minds open to your word
and hearts that trust in your eternal care.

Amen.  
-Sister Joan Chittister, OSB (A Prayer for Leadership)

An Election Season Prayer

God, I know that I don’t have to get angry. I don't have to get worked up. I don’t have to get depressed. And I don't have to throw anything at the TV.

I just have to use my conscience and vote.

So help me remember
what Jesus taught in the Gospels,
and what our church teaches,
especially about the poor, the refugee, the migrant,
the sick, the homeless, the unborn,
the hungry, the elderly and the lonely.

Help me remember the "least" among us,
and help me ponder in my heart
how to cast my vote for the good of all.

God, I know that no candidate is perfect,
because I'm not perfect either,
the last time I checked.
So free me of the burden of having to
vote for someone who satisfies
all my desires for a candidate.
My candidate will be imperfect,
like me.

Help me to be grateful for the ability to vote,
because not everyone has that privilege.

And when I meet people voting for someone else,
Help me to take a deep breath and
give them the benefit of the doubt,
because they are following their consciences, too.

Help me remember
that even though they sometimes drive me nuts,
I don't have to argue with them,
I don't have to convince them,
I don't have to hate them,
And I don't have to demonize them.

Then, after the election, help me work for unity.
Because I know that’s what you want.

Amen.

Rev. James Martin, S.J.

A Prayer for Understanding and Integrity

Oh God of Creation,

As citizens of a nation possessing and exerting tremendous power and influence — both in the human community, and on the planet You so lovingly created‎ — help us to remember that our individual votes have tremendous consequences.

Help us to remember that we are casting our vote not only for ourselves, but for the billions of other beings in the world whose lives will be directly‎ affected by our nation’s election results.

May we be keenly mindful that the decisions made by the leaders we elect will affect so many:

• The afflicted children in Flint, Ramallah, Aleppo, ‎and Abuja
• The migratory monarch, the African elephant, and the pollinating bee
• The towering canopies and deep underground roots of Your ancient forests, and the birds, insects, primates, and other animals that inhabit them
• The war-weary people of Honduras , Syria, and the Philippines, struggling against violence and corruption
• The pika, the polar bear, and the darting fish of Your coral reefs, whose habitats are rapidly vanishing
• The desperate refugees fleeing violence, now languishing in prisons of our making
• The unarmed people of color gunned down in the favelas of Rio, the streets of Cleveland and Baltimore, and the shantytowns of Johannesburg; and
• All others with whom we share Your planet.

Let us cast our votes with prayerful discernment, humility, compassion, and in witness to Your love for all creation.

And let us each do what we can to ensure that our Sisters and Brothers who are eligible to vote — especially those lacking in power and access — are encouraged and permitted to do so, absent interference, intimidation, threat, and violence.

In the name of Jesus, who cast His lot with the weak and the oppressed – Amen.

-Pax Christi (A Prayer for Understanding and Integrity in the Voting Process)

A Bread Member in St. Louis Asks Why Hunger and Poverty Not Part of Debates

"The first presidential and the only vice presidential debate have completely ignored the outrageous reality that one in six people in our country, the richest nation in the world, is regularly hungry or food-insecure. No one, not Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump nor the debate moderators, have discussed in any substantial way the question of how to address hunger and poverty.

Yet 42 million people in the U.S., including one in seven households in Missouri, struggle with hunger. And 43 million of our citizens, including one in three children in our state, live below the poverty line. As actor and activist Jeff Bridges has rightly said, "If another nation was doing this to our children, we'd be at war."

-Excerpts from a letter to the editor in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Clint McCann, a Bread member in Webster Groves, Missouri.

Birmingham Bread Team Discusses Why Candidate Meetings Matter

Suzanne Martin, a Bread for the World activist in Birmingham, relates to interviewer Vic Adamo how the local team went about arranging visits with the two candidates for the open seat in the Sixth Congressional District in Alabama in 2014. The meetings lay the groundwork for the Bread folks in Birmingham to establish a working dialogue with candidate Gary Palmer, who won the election. (We followed a similar plan in Albuquerque, when the seat in the First Congressional District in New Mexico became open in 2012).

Issue of Hunger and Poverty Missing from First Presidential Debate

"Last night, Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump met in the first presidential debate of the general election. Like millions of other Americans, I watched the candidates debate a number of issues, but there was one glaring omission — the 42.2 million men, women, and children who struggle with hunger in America each year.

 Lester Holt started the debate with a question about economic inequality and the bottom 50 percent of the income distribution. He also focused the second segment on the racial divide in America. But nobody -- not Hillary Clinton, not Donald Trump, not Lester Holt -- mentioned hunger or poverty. Yet one in five U.S. children struggles with hunger, and 43 million Americans live below the poverty line.
 
"Don't let our political leaders ignore hunger and poverty. Hunger is not a partisan issue. Its harmful impact is not up for debate. And yet the presidential candidates were silent in a serious policy discussion on a critical issue facing one in every eight Americans.

Time is running out. We know that ending hunger by 2030 is possible. But if we are to stay on track toward that goal, we cannot afford to let the voices of the most vulnerable be lost in the din of this season's campaign coverage. We need both Democrats and Republicans speaking out and acting on these critical issues now."

-David Beckmann
President
Bread for the World

(Read full statement from Beckmann and Bread for the World)

Bread for the World Invites You to Play Bingo During the Debates

Play bingo while you watch the presidential and vice presidential debates!

We want to elect leaders who make ending hunger and poverty a priority, so we are encouraging candidates to talk about these issues.

We invite you to watch the debates and listen if candidates address poverty and hunger.
Download and print Bread’s bingo cards with terms relating to hunger, poverty, and the work needed to end both.

Use a marker and put an X through each word or phrase you hear the candidates say. Five consecutive crosses means that you got bingo!

Play with friends or with others on Twitter by using the hashtag #IVote2EndHunger. Tag @bread4theworld if you get bingo.

A BINGO win for you is also a win for our advocacy, as hearing these words spoken means the candidates are talking about hunger and poverty – something that must be done if we’re to effectively end hunger by 2030.

Presidential and vice presidential debates will air on:

• September 26
• October 4 (VP debate)
• October 9
• October 19

All debates begin at 9 p.m. EDT and will be televised on all major networks. Join us as we play BINGO and hold the candidates accountable on addressing hunger and poverty.

Urge Congress to Fund Critical Anti-Hunger Programs in 2017

For the first time since the start of the Great Recession, the total number of people living at risk of hunger and in poverty in the U.S. has gone down. In fact, the number of Americans living at risk of hunger and in poverty has decreased by 12 percent and 8 percent, to 42 million and 43 million respectively.

While these numbers are still too high, this is a positive step and proof that the right policies can help lead us to zero hunger and poverty by 2030. But we won't get there if Congress doesn't do its job and make ending hunger both here in the U.S. and abroad a priority.

Call (800-826-3688) or email Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (or your own representative) and Sen. Martin Heinrich and Sen. Tom Udall (or your own senators) today!

Tell Congress that 42 million Americans, including 13 million children, are at risk of hunger. Urge them to pass a fiscal year 2017 budget that adequately funds critical anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs like WIC, Summer EBT, and international development assistance focused on poverty.

Time is running out. If Congress doesn’t pass spending bills by September 30, the end of its fiscal year, they risk a government shutdown. Families counting on nutrition assistance here in the U.S. and around the world could be impacted. Call (800-826-3688) or email today.

Eric Mitchell
Director of Government Relations, Bread for the World

Santa Fe Among State Capitals to Hold Rally on National Moral Day of Action

Rev. William Lyons (photo Kay Huggins)

On Monday, September 12, more than 70 people gathered at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe to urge the New Mexico State Legislature, Gov. Susana Martinez and candidates for office to emphasize that our budget is a moral document and should give a priority to the needs of the disenfranchised in communities around the state.

The group in Santa Fe joined coalitions in Boston; Washington, D.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; Springfield, Ill.;Madison, Wis.; Carson City, Nev., and dozens of other state capitals for the National Moral Day of Action to advance a moral public policy agenda that responds to the urgent needs of the poor, people who are ill, children, immigrants, communities of color, and religious minorities.

The groups that gathered on that Monday were all part of  fusion coalitions created with the help of  Rev. William Barber, founder of the Forward Together Moral Movement and president of the NAACP chapter in North Carolina. Rev. Barber came to Albuquerque in June to help facilitate conversations around the creation of a fusion coalition in New Mexico.

(Photo: Kay Huggins)

Diverse Group of Clergy in Santa Fe
The rally in Santa Fe was sponsored by Interfaith Worker Justice-New Mexico, the New Mexico Conference of Churches (NMCC), New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light and the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico. More than two dozen other organizations, including Bread New Mexico, endorsed the event.

The rally included a diverse group of clergy from around the state, touching on many of the issues that affect New Mexico. According to Rev. Kay Huggins, interim executive director of the NMCC, the more than 70 people who gathered at the Roundhouse included 40 ordained members of the faith community, representing the United Methodist Church, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church USA, Metropolitan Community Church, and Mennonite Church.

Rev. William Lyons, Southwest Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ, was the opening speaker. Others who joined in were Rev. Dr. Keith Wilkes of Portales (Democracy and Voting Rights), Rev. Steve Wiard of Taos & Rev. David Rogers of Carlsbad (Poverty and Economic Justice), Rev. Dr. Holly Beaumont of Santa Fe (Workers Rights), Father Richard Murphy of Santa Fe (Education), Rev. Lorelei Kay of Gallup (Healthcare), Rev. Chan Osborn de Anaya of Navajoland & Farmington (Environmental Justice), Rev. Antonio Aja of Santa Fe (Immigrants' Rights and Xenofobia), Rev. Steve Voris of Carlsbad (Criminal Justice), Rev. Judith Maynard of Albuquerque ( LGBTQ Rights) and Rev. Todd Wynward of Taos (War Mongering and the Military).  KRWG TV/FM had a nice write-up ahead of the rally.

Here are some tweets/pictures from Health Action New Mexico 

During our #MoralDayofAction the clergy spoke in solidarity about the need to fully fund Medicaid. #NoMoreCutsNM pic.twitter.com/p7RlbUwJew

— HealthActionNM (@HealthActionNM) September 12, 2016

A powerful #MoralDayofAction in New Mexico. #nmleg #nmpol pic.twitter.com/BqD4nFf1MF

— HealthActionNM (@HealthActionNM) September 12, 2016