The Most Important Social Justice Work You Can Do in 2008

I already knew that 2008 is an important election year before I came to this year's UU General Assembly, but now I know it's also an incredibly exciting election year! Unlike most years, when incumbents get re-elected even if they continue to ignore what their constituents want, there are enough open and contested seats in 2008 that candidates might actually be forced to listen to us. Doing voter engagement is the most important social-justice work you can do in 2008!

"The stakes in 2008 could not possibly be higher," Tom Andrews told a rapt crowd at the UUSC/UUA Activist Training to End the War in Iraq on Wednesday, June 25. "This is certainly the most consequential election in my lifetime."

Andrews, who represented Maine in Congress for 12 years and now heads up the Win Without War Coalition — and serves on the UUSC Board of Trustees — stated that "the Bush doctrine eliminated U.S. commitment to international institutions and international law...That's what at stake. In additional to changing [who's in] Congress and the presidency and ending this monstrous war, we need to end the Bush doctrine and reassert the values that we, as UUs, live by!"

Fortunately, many of the 2008 races are wide open. There is no incumbent running for the White House, of course, but, in addition to the 33 Senate seats up for election, 4 open seats and 6 races are deemed as toss-ups. All 435 Representative districts are up for election, and of that number, there are 35 open seats and 48 races that are considered toss-ups.

Although some congregations are fearful of doing voter engagement work because they're concerned about protecting their tax-exempt status as 501c3 organizations, Rob Keithan, director of the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy, made it clear that as long as they stay within the guidelines, congregations can (and should) take on this work.

Keithan offered three crucial points:

1) Talk about what we believe and what we want, not what the candidate wants. This qualifies as allowable 501c3 issue advocacy.

2) Avoid references to candidates and parties.

3) Make it clear that you are doing ongoing work, not just something that is timed for the election.

In fact, if we only do electoral work, our elected officials will not be accountable. They need to know that we are out there, where we stand, and that we will be on their case. (For more detailed advice on legally permissible voter engagement work, see the UUA's The Real Rules: Congregations and the IRS Guidelines on Advocacy, Lobbying, and Elections.)

UUSC Campaign Organizer Michele Rudy challenged the attendees to make their voter engagement work as effective as it can possibly be. "Set a goal for how many people you want to register and the number of volunteers you will need in order to sign them up."

"Hit the streets!" Rudy continued. "You can't just sit behind a table. You need to talk to people who are disengaged and personally ask them. And be sure to follow up with the people you register to keep them engaged. Create a database so you can stay in touch."