Defending Democracy forums:   democracy@uusc.org

The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is engaged in a broad national effort to help people identify opportunities for election-related action. Working in collaboration with the Unitarian Universalist Association, we are creating opportunities to educate, motivate and mobilize our members and supporters. The Service Committee is working to educate voters about their rights, register new voters, develop resources about subjects that congregations and individuals may use to educate themselves about election issues, encourage communities to take action that will help defend our democracy's election process, and engage young people.

If you would like to help get out the vote and protect the electoral process in two key states on Election Day, visit Defend Democracy in Florida and New Hampshire UUs work together to get out the vote.

Defending Democracy forums draw together large audiences in a discrete geographic area to hear from experts what the campaign season portends. Forum session experts may include representatives from the NAACP, the state secretary's office, the League of Women Voters, columnists, writers, Democratic and Republican state committees, and UUSC. Breakout sessions led by specialists are designed to provide hands-on training for election-related action. UUSC can help advertise your forum on its Web site, help organize the event and may offer a small grant.

For a list of events and activities that you can do in the remaining days prior to the election, visit Get out the vote on Nov. 2!

UUSC Human Rights Forum
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is supporting many electoral activities taking place across the country to educate and mobilize Unitarian Universalists and others to encourage maximum voter participation and defend the democratic processes in the upcoming presidential election. At the Unitarian Universalist Association's annual General Assembly this past June in Long Beach, Calif., UUSC sponsored a Human Rights Forum to show what social justice advocates are doing and can do to mobilize activists during the election season. Speakers at the forum were Kate Lore of the First Unitarian Church of Portland, Ore.; Betsy Allis, of the Metro UU Social Justice Alliance in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; Bill Docker, of the Universalist Meeting House of Provincetown, Mass.; and Rev. Lindi Ramsden of the UU Legislative Ministry based in San Jose, Calif.

To listen to a recording of the GA Defending Democracy forum, download DDForum.mp3.

Defending Democracy workcamps involved people in one week of experiential learning focused on the 2004 elections and beyond. This summer, two workcamps were held that were designed to train activists in voter registration and get-out-the-vote  programs and to inspire them work in their communities and schools to encourage maximum participation in the November presidential election. The Freedom Summer Workcamp: A Civil Rights Journey brought together young people from around the country to southern cities that were focal points of the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. They learned firsthand from those who were there about the tumultuous campaign to register black voters during Freedom Summer 1964, and then trained in electoral activist techniques. At another workcamp in Boston, Mass., a different group of volunteers received similar training during the week of the Democratic National Convention.

See Volunteers retrace sites of past civil rights struggles to prepare for 2004 electoral activism for a report on the Freedom Summer Workcamp

Defending Democracy issue briefs provide election issue information and serve as voter education resources. Visit here to see links to resources on issues and information on subjects ranging from children, the economy, women, political parties and candidates, the environment and contacts with organizations conducting voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaign around the country.

For more information

Contact the Service Committee at 800.388.3920 for information on fulfilling your and your congregation's coaching, training and voter education needs now. We want to be prepared in every way we can to ensure that the November elections run smoothly, that every vote is counted and that the results are reliable. 

Defending Democracy workcamps: Contact Kim McDonald, ext. 217, or by e-mail at justworks@uusc.org. 

Defending Democracy forums: Contact Jackie Ladd, ext. 218, or by e-mail at democracy@uusc.org.