LITITZ, Pa. (RNS) — Elsy Jurez and her daughter Penelope stopped at the Republican Party booth on their way to their polling place on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Wearing a bright pink vest, the elder Jurez smiled and joked with GOP workers for a few minutes before heading to the funeral home to vote.

However, as he was leaving, he clarified to RNS that he did not vote for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump. Instead, he supported the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I’m from El Salvador,” Jurez said. “I know that this country has given me so much and will continue to give so much to people from other places.”

He later added: “We are Mormons, and so we believe in family and the freedom to be religious. But we also believe in democracy.”

Penelope Jurez, who has been hesitant to vote for several years but carries the “voter of the future” label, also agreed with her mother.

“Jesus Christ taught Christians to love everyone, not just a certain group of people,” the younger Jurez said. “My mom’s vote for Kamala Harris shows that, because she looks out for everyone, not just a certain group of people.”

The two were among thousands of people who voted Tuesday in hotly contested Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, which went blue in 2020 but is traditionally a key Republican enclave. In interviews with RNS outside various polling places, many people stated that their beliefs influenced their votes; This could have a disproportionate impact this year, as many analysts believe Pennsylvania is the state most likely to decide the election.

St. Luke’s United Church of Christ hosted a polling place for the election on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 in Lititz, Pennsylvania. RNS photo: Jack Jenkins

Just down the road in Brethren Village, a retirement community with historic ties to the Church of the Brethren, voters of all ages quietly filed in and out of a chapel converted into a polling place. Stephen Shenk, wearing a suit, bright red tie and gold cross necklace, said he was voting for Trump. Madison Bellanca, standing next to him, did the same.

“The most important thing for me is the border and the economy,” Shenk said. “I think the border was a lot more secure under Trump’s reign in 2016, and I also think the economy was in a better place. “We are a young generation who want to buy a house, and in the last four years it has become much more difficult to buy a house than before.”

Shenk, who identifies only as a Christian, said he attends Victory Church, a nearby evangelical congregation, and that his faith “definitely played a role” in how he voted.

“My ethos is in line with many of the policies that Donald Trump and the Republican Party as a whole are subject to,” he said.

Standing nearby with his dog was John Byers, who said he was voting for Harris. He said he supported Republicans in past elections, but Trump was a bridge too far this year.

“I can’t vote for Trump after January 6,” he said, referring to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Byers explained that as a member of the local Church of the Brethren congregation, he helped resettle refugees in the area through the Church World Service, one of six faith-based groups that partner with the federal government to assist in the resettlement of refugees. This experience led him to be wary of Trump’s mass deportation plans.

“After working so hard to resettle people in this country, I don’t want to see a group of people deported,” Byers said.

John Byers poses for a portrait with his dog after voting on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Lititz, Pennsylvania. RNS photo: Jack Jenkins

In the final days of the campaign, both candidates relied on their faith and called on religious voters to support them. Trump hosted a rally in Lancaster on Monday, the last day of his campaign. I focused on evangelicalsA constituency that has long supported him. Harris appealed to many religious groups: Black Protestants and its members The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Questions about Trump’s character also resonated Tuesday with Rhoda Mast, a Brethren Village voter who said she supports Harris. Expressing that he was concerned about Trump’s character, Trump stated that he “could not vote for a convicted criminal.” Moreover, Mast said his Mennonite beliefs kept him from supporting a candidate known for regularly spreading lies.

“We believe that as people of faith and Christians, we must tell the truth, be kind, be honest, and love everyone, not just Americans,” Mast said.

Down the street from St. At St. Luke’s United Church of Christ, Diana, who asked to be identified only by her first name, said she voted for Trump. Standing in front of the church as scores of voters flocked during the lunch hour, the woman said Trump, who, like her, identifies as a non-denominational Christian, “is more supportive of our Bible beliefs and Christian beliefs.”

He was followed as he left the church by Neil Wilson, a healthcare worker and veteran. He said that he did not participate in the 2020 elections, but did not want to miss this round and that’s why he voted for Harris.

“I like what it represents; people, middle class. It inspires me to get out and vote,” Wilson said. The man, who grew up in a Baptist family whose uncle was a minister, said his faith inspired him to “go out and try to make a difference this year, just thinking my vote would count.”

At the funeral home, Catholic Katie Pasic said she believes abortion is “horrible” but is voting for Harris, who has made protecting abortion rights a focus of her campaign.

“I don’t think anyone wakes up in the morning thinking, ‘I’d love to have an abortion,'” said Pasic, whose agnostic husband also voted for Harris. “I can’t speak for all Catholics, but I think you can be anti-abortion but still be pro-abortion.”

Although the Catholic Church officially opposes abortion, a majority of U.S. Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to many polls.

Not everyone was comfortable discussing their votes. One couple refused to reveal the contents of the ballot, but that was because they “canceled each other out” in front of a reporter and “didn’t want to get into it.”

Another couple, Jenna and Alex Moyer, said they recently moved to Lancaster County from Philadelphia and attend a nondenominational church. But while Alex Moyer said he believes “Judeo-Christian ethics” determine who he thinks “will be a good leader for our country,” he declined to say who that might be.

Jenna Moyer was similarly speechless, saying: “We not only want the country to be run in a way that supports our values, but also allows our children to be raised with good morals and values.”

Both insisted that reports showing Pennsylvania voters were deeply divided were exaggerated.

“Most of the time when we walk the streets, people treat each other with dignity and respect,” Jenna Moyer said.

For others, faith was not a factor at all. Royce Stout, who identified as a Christian and wore a shirt emblazoned with a founding-era American flag, said he voted for Trump because he wanted a “secure border.” When asked if his faith influenced his voting, he gave a one-word answer: “No.”

Amar and Vara Nuri, who walked away from the funeral home in the opposite direction, said they voted for Trump. “We want to see change, we are tired of Democrats,” Amar Nuri said. Vara Nuri, who was standing next to him wearing a headscarf, nodded in approval. But both insisted their faith played no role in the decision.

Election and faith-related signs are spread around town ahead of Election Day on Tuesday, November 5, 2024 in Lititz, Pennsylvania. RNS photo: Jack Jenkins

But religion was a big part of what drove others to go to the polls. At the UCC church, Evony Otero said she was raised Catholic but now identifies exclusively as Christian. Otero said he had “a few conversations with God about this” before the vote, but now he’s “confident” in his decision.

“I am a woman. I am a single mother. I know what it’s like to struggle. “I know what it’s like to feel like your back is against the wall,” he said. “I wanted someone I could relate to, who maybe was in the same situation or had a family member go through the same thing.”

He said he voted for Harris and left the rest to God.

“We’ll leave it in his hands,” he said.