Election Day will also be a day of prayer and fasting for many across the commonwealth, as religious opponents of changing the state’s constitution make their case that voters should reject proposed constitutional amendment Questions 1 and 2.
The first amendment would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, and Ballot Question 2 would “remove the ban on same-sex marriage” in Virginia. The second question is legally moot right now because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision, but if the high court changed its ruling, this amendment could come into effect. A third ballot measure would restore the voting rights of felons after they complete their sentences.
“Our church will be holding a prayer service at 6 p.m. on Election Day to pray for the state of Virginia,” Pastor Ben Purves told the Daily Signal. “When we talked about that in our local pastor’s fellowship here in Prince William County, every pastor there said it was something we should do.”
For their part, Roman Catholics will host a rosary for Virginia this coming Friday at All Saints Catholic Church in Manassas to encourage voters to oppose the amendments. That service will also be livestreamed. “I’m really pleased that people have passion about this, they’re talking about this,” Bishop Michael Francis Burbidge said on the “Faith in Action” podcast. “This is great that we’re rallying together to do what is right and to do what is just.”
Purves is an organizer of the group site virginiapastors.org, which published an open letter last month. “We believe these two amendments must be rejected for the Commonwealth of Virginia because they will harm our state as they are opposed to human flourishing and contrary to the Word of God,” the letter began. Former Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears highlighted the pastoral letter as she made her way across Virginia this fall, speaking out against the amendments.
One argument that opponents of the amendments use is that they aren’t clearly worded. Purves said many religious leaders told him that their church members initially intended to vote for the amendments but changed their minds after hearing details. The pastoral letter, which has been signed by more than 430 church leaders, has also been translated into Korean and Bengali so it can reach a larger audience.
Purves is also the plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Virginia State Board of Elections and other state officials. The case, which was filed in a court in Prince William County by Founding Freedoms Law Center, alleges that state lawmakers did not follow the proper procedures to place the second proposed amendment on the ballot.
It is similar to an earlier case that the same organization filed opposing the first proposed amendment, on the same basic legal ground.
“This case is important because the process of amending our constitution matters a great deal to the rule of law and the legitimacy of any resulting amendments,” Josh Hetzler, the executive director of Founding Freedoms Law Center, told the Daily Signal. “In order to change the law, we must first follow the law.”
“The Virginia General Assembly did not pass the amendment to the county clerks throughout the commonwealth, and so it was not posted as required,” Purves told the Daily Signal. He said that lawmakers later repealed the provision that required posting the changes, but that the law was not followed as written in 2025.
Early voting is available through Saturday, with Election Day on Nov. 3. Purves said there are no plans yet for congregants to visit polling places to speak against the amendments, but he said that his church and his organization might consider that. Electioneering is allowed outside polling places, but not within 40 feet of the entrance.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
