US archbishops urge Catholics to let faith shape their vote in midterms

With days to go before the 2026 midterm elections, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has released a series of videos in which several archbishops ask Catholics to form their consciences in the light of faith before they vote. The elections could serve as a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term, which has been marked by the start of a war with Iran and rising prices for fuel and other consumer goods.

Sample's proposal: Christ before party

Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, chairman of the USCCB's religious liberty committee, posted his message on October 26. He asked Catholics to think of themselves first as disciples of Jesus Christ, second as American citizens and only third as members of a political party. He said they should start from their personal relationship with Christ and let that faith shape how they see social and political questions, rather than starting from a party platform.

Sample also said that no political party in the country reflects Catholic social teaching in full.

Moral conscience as a guide

Also on October 26, Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, a former vice president of the USCCB, focused on the role of moral conscience. He described it as the part of a person that points toward the good and away from evil, and as the place where God speaks and his word echoes in the heart.

Lori said that at a time of constant political turmoil and nonstop news cycles, citizenship requires slowing down and practicing discernment. He cited St. Paul's exhortation to hold fast to what is good. He described faithful citizenship not as a list of prohibitions or voting instructions but as an invitation to learn what the Church teaches so that Catholics can discern prayerfully as they face their ballots or choose candidates. "It is not a voting guide," he said, but something that aims to present a vision of the United States as the best version of itself. Lori added that the bishops trust the faithful and that they issue their messages about voting periodically.

Further calls to discernment

Archbishop Shelton Fabre of Louisville, Kentucky, released a separate video asking Catholics to place the desire to be the best possible disciple of Jesus Christ at the center of every decision. Fabre said the purpose of taking part in public and political life is to promote the common good and to remind everyone in politics that the dignity of each person is a supreme value.

Several bishops have also asked the faithful to pray in the days before the vote, particularly about ballot initiatives on abortion and other moral questions before voters in various states.

Voting as a sacred act

Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., published a reflection describing voting as an act of sacred trust. Budde recounted the testimony of a listener to the public radio program 1A. The listener remembered how her father took her to vote as a child in the 1950s with the same solemnity as going to church: she dressed for the occasion and went to a polling place set up in a local fire station.

Budde encouraged those who had not yet voted to do so with that same dignity. She said that on election day the Episcopal Benedictine community in Omaha, Nebraska, would hold an online prayer vigil from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, with bishops and priests from around the country taking part, including herself at 6:30 p.m.

Analysts expect a significant Democratic victory in the midterms, in part because of Trump's low approval ratings at the midpoint of his second term. On October 29, the election tracking site Decision Desk HQ put the probability of Democrats winning a majority in the House of Representatives at 80 percent and also forecast likely Democratic wins in the Senate.