New York religious leaders want voters this Election Day to love thy neighbor. 

Various faith leaders told Spectrum News 1 they've preached messages of unity ahead of Tuesday's state and national elections, with several pushing New York voters to defeat Proposition 1, or the Equal Rights Amendment that will appear on the back of the statewide ballot.

While the U.S. Constitution protects the freedom of religion and the separation of church and state, some voters have turned to their religious leaders for guidance when making decisions about their personal beliefs

"I'm on the side of: 'You have to be kind — you have to listen to other people,'" said The Rev. Bob Longobucco, pastor at Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish in Schenectady.

Religion has played a role in the 2024 campaign trail — with President Donald Trump saying Jewish voters could be partly to blame if he loses the election.

And last month, Vice President Kamala Harris told a Christian heckler who shouted 'Jesus is Lord' they were at the wrong event.

Longobucco said parishioners have expressed concern about the personalities and rhetoric used by Trump and Harris.

He's one of several religious leaders urging people in their respective houses of worship to cut through the noise and focus on the foundation of many faiths: unconditional love.

"That doesn't mean that everybody has to agree," Longobucco said. "The apostles didn't agree, so I don't expect us to agree, but we need to be at a place where everybody can feel welcomed and everybody can feel respected."

Faith leaders said they've refused to endorse or promote any specific candidate or political party, telling worshippers that no candidate will match perfectly with their beliefs.

But many clergy and other religious are alignment in telling New Yorkers to vote down Proposition 1, or a statewide ballot proposal lawmakers say will enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution.

Various religious groups have fought the proposal for months, arguing its vague language could be interpreted to inhibit religious and parental freedoms.

"What was the Legislature actually attempting to achieve with this amendment when similar language already exists under the [New York state] Human Rights Law?" asked Taiymoor Naqi, president of the United Muslim Alliance of Albany.

Islamic leaders in the Capital Region have held several voter registration drives and education about top issues.

Naqi said it's vital for Muslim voices to engage at the ballot box amid the community's issues with President Donald Trump's "Muslim ban" in 2017 and decisions under President Joe Biden's administration to back Israel and fund genocide in the Middle East. 

"We've just seen a shift with people wanting to get more involved politically and to understand who their candidates are and what their positions are," he said. "...Our voters should think critically about who in their opinion and in their minds aligns with their values and their principles and vote their conscience."

The Israel-Hamas war, a rise in hate crimes and other issues including abortion and immigration have challenged voters' morals this election. 

Rabbi Zoe B. Zak of the Temple Israel of Catskill says she prays for both Israel and Gaza equally and promotes a peaceful sharing of beliefs. 

"My role to be is mostly to just be a supportive listener," Zak said. "It's certainly not to tell someone how what they should believe or how to think."

But not all churchgoers are turning to religious leaders for guidance.

Chuck Engelhardt, senior pastor of Abounding Love Christian Fellowship in southern Albany County, says far fewer people have asked him about the election than in 2016 or 2020, and have grown more resistent to discussing their beliefs.

"It almost feels like people have cocooned themselves within their belief and value system," Engelhardt said. "They don't want you to try to come close to that or challenge their beliefs. So they don't ask the questions in an open and honest way."

Engelhardt said the apprehension has eroded opportunities for meaningful conversations between people who hold different values.

"If they have those discussions, they have them with other like-minded people," he added.

Religious leaders often disagree about certain teachings, but were unified this election cycle in telling worshippers it's equally a privilege to have the right to vote and the freedom of religion.

Zak said she'll continue to pray for the country, and remaining divisiveness, to be healed after the polls close.

"How someone votes isn't important, it's important that people take it upon themselves to go and vote from their beliefs and what directs and guides them," Zak said. "We want everybody who walks in the door to feel and to know that they're really welcome however they vote, and that they're loved and accepted and supported regardless."