Voters in precincts on the Navajo and Hopi reservations in northeastern Arizona cast nearly 60,000 ballots in the Nov. 3 election, compared with just under 42,500 in 2016. Biden won Arizona by about 10,500 votes, according to unofficial results.

A range of coronavirus relief programs expire Dec. 31, and it's time to prepare for life without them.

Our voices are needed now more than ever in urging Congress to complete the bi-partisan negotiations to address COVID-19 before the holidays and congressional adjournment.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated in September that the number of people enrolled in Medicaid expansion will grow to 13.7 million people in 2021. The Urban Institute in an Oct. 15 report suggested that overturning the ACA would result in at least a 90 percent increase in the uninsured population for 25 of the expansion states.

President-elect Joe Biden is facing calls from anti-hunger groups to roll back some of the signature initiatives of the Trump administration, namely regulatory policies aimed at reducing the number of Americans eligible for food assistance.

On average, SNAP households received about $246 a month in fiscal year 2020, FRAC research shows. The average SNAP benefit per person was about $125 per month, which works out to about $1.39 per person per meal.

Pastors and faith leaders across the country are asked urgently to sign a letter to congressional leaders seeking for a COVID-19 relief package.

The presentations by Dr. Ryan Cumming of ELCA World Hunger and Ms. Angie Rogers of Arizona Food Bank Network for the LAMA Summit on November 7 were excellent ~ well worth viewing!

Arizona voters approved a ballot measure this week that will make the state’s tax code more equitable while raising hundreds of millions of dollars in badly needed revenue for schools. Two other sound, high-profile ballot measures — in Illinois and California — either failed or remain too close to call, but the Arizona victory joins New Jersey’s new “millionaires’ tax” as an example of equitable, antiracist fiscal policy that other states should follow.

Are you thinking about the messaging for election day and beyond, and wrestling with what is the right thing to say? These talking points Voting Rights Lab is a useful resource.

You’ve done your part. You voted. You made sure your voice was heard. You care about your democracy and it shows. Your action alert for today is to breathe. Pray for our nation. Pray for healing and hope, and rejoice in God’s goodness. Reflect on your many blessings.

Have you taken the pledge and shared your voting commitments to reach out to family and friends and even your faith community?

“I think this is almost invariably (note the tiny escape clause) an accurate statement: Lutheran pastors do not tell parishioners how to vote. Not only is this technically illegal but also probably unwise.”

New for 2020! Advent Action Guide, Calendar, Study and Reproducible Stories for congregational use to plan educational and fundraising events at your congregation. From ELCA World Hunger.

Arizona is suspending its plan to take Medicaid coverage away from people who don’t meet work requirements, adding to the growing list of states making similar decisions. Other states with approved or pending work requirement waivers also should reconsider these harmful policies.

More than 4 in 10 children live in households that struggle to meet usual household expenses. … The figures underscore the need for policymakers to agree on a strong, bipartisan economic relief package.