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In the peacebuilding field, “election violence” is physical violence, severe psychological violence, or property damage that is either motivated by an election cycle or intended to influence an election cycle. That means it can start many months before an election and continue for some months afterward. The United States is already experiencing some incidents of election violence attached to the 2024 election cycle, and there are a number of risk factors that make additional violence a real possibility.
This can feel scary. But the situation isn’t hopeless. An overwhelming majority of people in our country do not want violence, regardless of their political positions, and Friends have been practicing election violence prevention in other countries for many years. We can learn from them and from other experts to build communities that are less likely to experience election violence—and more likely to respond resiliently if they do.
The weekend will start with a basic introduction to election violence prevention as a peacebuilding discipline. Saturday morning, we’ll study the Braver Angels Trustworthy Elections report, which is a tool for changing election procedures in a way that makes elections feel fair to both liberals and conservatives. Later on Saturday, we’ll talk about building resilient communities that can withstand difficult times nonviolently, and we’ll explore several additional best practice strategies. Sunday, we’ll worship and talk about specific next step.
Leader Emily Provance is a Quaker traveling minister from Fifteenth Street Meeting in New York City. She’s also an associate of Good News Associates, which is a Christian nonprofit ministry organization supporting individuals who are called to non-institutional ministries.