LEWISTON — A group of more than 20 members of clergy from a variety of religions gathered under the new mural in downtown Lewiston to speak out against what they say are federal efforts to prevent eligible voters from voting.

Some of those efforts, they say, include a March executive order issued by Pres. Donald Trump to restrict voting by mail and for the United States Postal Service to “provide each State with a list of individuals (Mail-In and Absentee Participation List) who are enrolled with the USPS.” Parts of this executive order were found to be unconstitutional by a federal court in June. 

About 130 faith leaders in Maine joined about 2,000 others across the country to sign an open letter calling for elected officials to protect voting rights. 

“Peace can only be achieved through multiculturalism, multi-faith acceptance, and through the voice of the people being heard in their elections,” said Rev. Phaedra Bond, a member of Interfaith Ministers of New England. 

Rev. Dr. Jodi Cohen Hayashida, a member of Multifaith Justice Maine, which is a project of Maine People’s Alliance, said her organization and other faith organizations across the country are working on a poll chaplaincy project. The project, she said, is meant to welcome people to polling locations in November. The people involved will be trained in de-escalation and voting rights, and can also help find translators or escort voters into the polls if necessary.

“[These organizations are doing] the concrete work of ensuring that our elections are protected, that voting rights are protected, that access that is guaranteed by the Constitution is ensured,” Hayashida said.

The mural the group stood under, which is meant to celebrate Lewiston’s immigrant community, reads “We are all in the same boat now.”