When Tiffin Franciscan Sisters Marge Eilerman, Angie Keil, and Shirley Shafranek visited the Toledo office of Ohio Senator Jon Husted, they knew they weren’t the bearers of good news. But they went all the same. Senator Husted had received a score of only 17 percent on NETWORK’s 2025 Voting Record, meaning he had voted with NETWORK on only one out of six vote recommendations. 

(This was the “TAKE IT DOWN Act,” criminalizing nonconsensual distribution of sexually explicit “deepfake” images online. This bill passed the Senate unanimously and is the reason no Republican Senator scored below a 14 percent.) 

The sisters met with Laura Brode, the Senator’s office manager in Toledo, and presented the Voting Record, recalls Sr. Marge. 

“We spoke to her about immigration issues, the SAVE America Act [a voter suppression bill opposed this year by NETWORK], and addressed the reality that Senator Husted uses the same form letter to respond to every e-mail or letter. I do give her a lot of credit for returning my phone call.” 

This visit exemplifies the work of accountability that many justice-seekers, Catholics, and other people of goodwill alike, are working diligently to ensure this election cycle. The 2026 midterms come at a turbulent time that could have far-reaching political implications. 

“Our country has been repeatedly diminished by this administration’s chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” said NETWORK Executive Director Laurie Carafone in a memo on Jan. 20, the first anniversary of President Trump’s return to office. “Under his leadership and direction, our health care, food, and public services were ripped away in order to pay for lavish billionaire tax giveaways. He has stoked war and violence abroad and unleashed masked deportation forces in communities across the country, disappearing our neighbors and sowing violence and division. President Trump has left us—our families, neighborhoods, schools, hospitals, and more—worse off.” 

Affirmations and obstacles 

Against this volatile backdrop, members of NETWORK’s field have been letting their lawmakers know how they measure up on the justice issues that define a Catholic Social Justice approach to politics. Sometimes challenging, these visits have also been described as “very friendly and cordial” and even as a “most wonderful opportunity to build community.” But they also lay the groundwork for the intensive advocacy for accountability that Catholic Social Justice demands this election year. 

Michigan advocate Al Weilbaecher visited with staffer Jeremy Blatt in Senator Elissa Slotkin’s office. The Senator was one of 12 Democrats who voted, against NETWORK’s recommendation, for the Laken Riley Act, which mandates the unnecessary apprehension and detention of undocumented immigrants convicted of or only arrested for certain crimes, including low–level misdemeanor offenses. This lone vote kept Senator Slotkin from scoring a 100 percent. (She scored an 86.) 

NETWORK Senior Government Relations Manager Giovana Oaxaca has noted the terror of immigration policy under the Trump administration, as “many people feel they cannot safely go to work, school, the doctor, or even church.” Weilbaecher noted that Blatt was not defensive and shared freely with him. 

“I found it helpful to hear from him what the Senator’s thinking is behind the various issues, what the obstacles are from her point of view, and how she strives to strategize for them,” he said of the encounter. “It was a great opportunity to thank him for what Senator Slotkin has done, to encourage her to continue her many initiatives on our behalf, and to affirm our support verbally in addition to the actual Voting Record.” 

Attuned and advocating 

On the House side, the 2025 Voting Record also included recommendations against bills that weakened both voting rights (SAVE Act) and environmental protections (PERMIT Act). 

“The SAVE Act would mandate American citizens provide proof-of-citizenship documents that many can’t access—like a passport or certified birth certificate—to register to vote or update their registration, such as after a move,” noted NETWORK Senior Government Relations Advocate Min. Christian S. Watkins in March of 2025. 

Despite the bill’s failure to move forward after passing the House, voter suppression bills have still emerged in both the House (Make Elections Great Again Act) and the Senate (SAVE America Act). 

On environmental protections, NETWORK Senior Government Relations Advocate Drake Starling asserted the need for accountability with lawmakers: “Members of Congress need to hear clearly: Permitting reform should only move forward if it speeds the clean energy transition — not if it expands fossil fuel infrastructure.” 

A particularly powerful encounter between advocates and lawmakers occurred in Maryland, where Simone Blanchard, Director of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation for the Congregation of the Sisters of Bon Secours, accompanied several Sisters to their Congresswoman and both Senators with framed 100 percent certificates. 

 

Blanchard described a welcoming atmosphere with staff interested in learning about NETWORK, getting to know the Sisters, and hearing where the work of their bosses and the advocacy of the Sisters aligned. 

“We still need to thank them for that and let them know that we’re paying attention,” said Blanchard. She also noted how many of the staffers they met were Catholic “and how encouraged they were to see us representing the Catholic Church in this way.” 

Following one such visit, Rep. Sarah Elfreth’s social media lauded the Sisters and their collaborators: “Thank you for being such incredible local partners and for speaking out for our most vulnerable communities!” 

Blanchard credited her Catholic faith for drawing her into these encounters. With the other options being to lash out bitterly or tune out completely, she said, “If I can advocate for policies that are going to help those who are suffering, then I’m going to do it — especially now.”

This story was originally published in the Quarter 2 2026 issue of Connection. See the full 2025 NETWORK Voting Record online.