UUs affirming and promoting the use of the democratic process
What UUs around the US are doing to support free and fair elections
A small group of us in Barcelona founded a voter registration group in Spain
10 months ago and have been aggressively helping Americans register to vote from
Spain. We have produced the highest registration ever from this country! My phone
number is plastered all over magazines, websites and American-related events...and
my phone has rung non-stop as people try to decipher the complicated federalized
rules and often irrational set of regulations for each state around absentee voting.
We have personally helped get some 1000 Americans living here to vote. Not a large
number in relative terms, but huge when you talk to each person individually and
find that so many have never voted before!
— Elizabeth Breedlove, Barcelona, Spain
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| Reed and Marnie Singer |
Reed and Marnie Singer will be poll watchers on Tuesday in California. When
asked why they are doing this, Marnie writes, "We believe that democracy is not
a spectator sport, and we want to make sure that, at that polling place at least,
no one gets intimidated or disenfranchised. Effective democracy need sunlight,
and we intend to shine some light rather than curse the darkness."
— Reed and Marnie Singer, UU Church of Palo Alto, CA
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| Laurie Bushbaum |
I decided to join Election Protection as a volunteer for two reasons. The first
is that I want to do my small part to unsure that this election outcome is based
on what happens at polling places and not what happens as a result of litigation
after the election. The second reason I signed up to work as an Election Protection
Volunteer here in Minnesota is that this is my living memorial to Senator Paul
Wellstone and his wife Marcia Wellstone. When they died just ten days before Paul's
bid for reelection to the Senate in 2002, I was devastated. Like thousands of
other Minnesotans, I realized that Wellstone would no linger be here to carry
my values forth; I better get up and out and do it myself. Wellstone was a people's
politican, a man of deep conviction and honesty. Tomorrow, while I stand at my
assigned polling place, I will be bearing witness to the Wellstones, to hope,
to the basic fundamental practices of democracy.
— Laurie Bushbaum, Michael Servetus Unitarian Church, Fridley, MN
On Election Day we will be working at a local polling place in the Fort Worth,
Texas metro area from early morning through early afternoon. For
the rest of the day we will drive voters to the polls, and our grandchildren
will be with us. We will have lemonade, water and cookies in the car to
offer our passengers. The opportunity to actively contribute to and
in small measure, support and assure the democratic goals of our nation
is simply a grand way of spending election day.
— Nancy Hynes, William Pruitt, Jessica Taylor - Richland Hills,
Texas
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| Megan Joiner |
I'm home in Cincinnati , Ohio where my parents' house has been transformed into
a poll manager location. We've set up a bunch of lines to do phone banking,
and we will dispatch people on Election Day to polling places to monitor activity,
and check who's turned out. I will start my Election Day at 6am, driving people
to the polls. I will then go to the "Yes on 3" headquarters, an organization
trying to repeal article 12 of the Cincinnati City charter that allows discrimination
based on sexual orientation. In the afternoon, I will be a poll monitor,
in what's likely to be one of the most volatile districts in the country.
— Megan Joiner, Legislative Assistant for Human and Civil Rights,
UUA Washington Office for Advocacy
I am serving as supervising election judge at my local precinct in Greene County
, just north of Springfield , MO. In Missouri , two Democrats and Two
Republicans are appointed as election officials (judges) in each precinct.
We have to arrive at the polls at 5 a.m. and get out the voting machines and
prepare the paperwork for the polls to open at 6 a.m. They close at 7 p.m. One
election judge from each major political party will then accompany the locked
voting box to the County election clerk's office. Another UU Board member,
Marilyn Day, (an attorney) is on a bipartisan board which rules on election
issues at the courthouse. I'm a Committeeman for
my party and the Central Committee thought this would be one of the good ways
to serve and help assure a fair and smooth election.
— David Peery, Board member, First Unitarian Universalist Church
of Springfield, MO
While I am not working on Nov. 2, I have worked for the past two weeks as an
elections clerk for Tarrant County, Texas at an early voting site. We processed
over 15,000 voters at my site. As a result of working those 12 days, I
am appalled at the electorate. I had people asking me who they should
vote for as they enter the voting machine area. I am still in a state of shock
over the total ignorance of so many voters. I've had people become upset
when I would take political material away from them that was given to them in
the parking lot as they entered the polling place. The answer always was
"if I give the material to you, how will I know who to vote for?" I am
a totally disillusioned election clerk.
— Judith Butler, First Jefferson UU Church, Ft. Worth, TX
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| Ellen Johnson-Fay |
I am motivated for the first time ever to be an election judge – that meant
I participated in a 3 hour training with hundreds of other Colorado Springs residents
of all political persuasions and will be at a polling precinct in my general neighborhood
from 6 a.m. to after 7 p.m. when the polls close. I wanted to be involved in some
way that affirmed everyone’s right to vote and access to the polling places.
I was heartened by the quality of the training and by the commitment of so many
good hearted folks to make our democracy work.
– Ellen Johnson-Fay, Senior Minister, All Souls Unitarian Universalist
Church, Colorado Springs, CO
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| Tera Little |
On election day I am working with Santa Monica Ranked Voting. We will hold
mock elections that day at polling places, asking voters to rank their choices
for President and for Santa Monica City Council. This is also called “Choice
Voting” or “Instant Runoff Voting,” and it's designed to let
voters see how easy and FUN it is to use Ranked Voting! The Santa Monica City
Council will likely study this issue in the next year; San Francisco will be using
it for the first time this November as well.
– Tera Little, Lifespan Religious Education Consultant, Pacific Southwest
District
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| Rod DePue |
On election day I will be knocking on doors and dropping off literature from 6am
to 6pm to encourage everyone to vote. Since Wisconsin is a swing state I feel
it is extra important to get everyone to the poles. It may be a long day, but
by the end of the day I am sure it will be worth it to support the democratic
process.
— Rod DePue, Past President, Unitarian Universalist Church West, Brookfield,
WI
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| Olivia Holmes |
People seem far more polarized around this election than I have experienced in
a lifetime of taking my civic duty to vote seriously. In my own family,
we are split down the middle, and the subject is strictly off limits for the foreseeable
future. In my work with the interfaith community here in the US , I hear
many similar stories. So I did the only thing I could do: I signed
up to help get out the vote and on Sunday I will travel to New Hampshire to help
in that key state. Then on Election Day I will work to get out the vote
in Boston . My feet are damaged, I can't walk door to door. But my
fingers are just fine. Maybe I can do this with kindness in my voice and
a prayer for peace and justice in my heart. And maybe doing that one thing
I can do will ease, at least, the worry in my own soul.
— Olivia Holmes, Director, UUA Office of International Relations
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| Carole Yorke |
I am a Voting System Supervisor in Pasco County, FL, a position I have held for
every election after the disastrous 2000 election. I moved to Pasco County
in 2001 and felt an ethical, moral, and spiritual obligation to participate.
My title means that I'm in charge of those touch screen electronic machines that
have no paper trail. Pasco County has a reputation for having Few problems in
elections, and since they've begun the use of touch screen machines (with an additional
way of collecting the votes from each machine this time), there have been virtually
no problems.
— Carole Yorke, Minister, Spirit of Life UUs, Odessa, FL
I have voted all of my life, but this year I decided that sitting on the sidelines
was no longer an option. So, recently retired and in a new apartment with boxes
and no furnitute, I trotted down to campaign headquarters in July and volunteered.
I have given presentations to about 30 senior citizen groups, performed
data entry, volunteered at many events and talked to as many people as possible.
On Nov. 2nd, election day, I will be at a polling place by 5:45 AM to help welcome,
guide and usher people who show up. The boxes have waited patiently.
— Sybil Rockwell, Milwaukee, WI
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| Laura Shemick |
I live in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, and have been working to identify voters
by phone calls. I am also a precinct coordinator for election day -- I have
to recruit volunteers to be poll watchers, greeters, drivers, and callers in order
to get out the vote. I just picked up my all-voter registration list, and
my pollwatcher certificates, and will be working over the weekend to recruit my
needed volunteers. I also will be calling voters on Friday and Sunday to
remind them to vote on Tuesday, and ask if they need rides to the polls. I'm doing
this election work because I think it's very, very important for the people of
this country to participate in electing the chief executive.
— Laura Shemick, Unitarian Church of Harrisburg, PA
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| Julia Aegerter |
I will be working for election protection in Cincinnati Ohio. I am going because
I am passionate about democracy. I believe that each person who is eligible should
vote and that voting should not be made confusing or tricky. I was angered by
what went on during the last presidential election. I believe that democracy is
not a given in this country but requires constant nurturing and protection. For
me, acting to ensure free elections in the U.S.A. comes from the passion I feel
for justice, which is rooted in my belief in the sacredness of all beings and
the lure to action which was part of my call to ministry. And why am I going to
Cincinnati? Because Indiana where I live is not one of the states being
monitored by election protection.
— Julia Aegerter, minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of Evansville,
IN
Judy Chambliss will be in Tampa and I in Orlando working with Election Protection.
I will take this opportunity to attend church and introduce several social activists
in Orlando to the goals of our AIW on E-Voting and brainstorm on how we can
move it forward in Florida.
— Heleni Thayre, Arlington Street Church, Boston, MA
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| D. Charles Davis and family |
I and 3 of our members are election judges and will be at the polls all day.
At least 10 of our people are doing a phone canvass to Get Out The Vote with Winston-Salem
CHANGE, a non-partisan, interfaith, multicultural community organization We registered
over 140 voters in the community.
Many more are active in partisan efforts as individuals, not as representative
of the UU Fellowship.
—D. Charles Davis, Minister, UU Fellowship of Winston-Salem, NC
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| Deborah Mero |
I will be working as a voter protection volunteer in Miami-Dade County on November
2nd. My duties there will involve supporting minority and other persons whose
status as a registered voter is not being honored. I'm doing this work as a form
of Witness—both to witness what really is going on in the field and to bear
witness to what I learn from it. And I'm doing it to "Pray with my Feet,"
a form of spiritual justice work, and because it beats sitting on my hands and
worrying about it all while feeling helpless.
— Deborah Mero, Minister, Westminster Unitarian Church, East Greenwich,
RI.
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| Sarah Craft |
On November 2, I will be serving as an operator on the National Election Protection
Voter Hotline (1-866-OUR-VOTE) in its Washington, DC-based national call center.
— Sarah Craft, UUA Voting Project Coordinator
On election day, I will be serving as a Federal Observer under the Voting Rights
Act of 1965. The Federal Observer provision was included in the Voting
Rights Act to enable the Department of Justice to monitor whether the African
Americans in southern states who had been newly enfranchised under the Voting
Rights Act were actually allowed to vote and whether their votes were actually
counted. The information from the Federal Observers would enable Department
of Justice lawyers to take immediate remedial action, if necessary. Federal
Observers are now used as well to monitor whether minority language voters,
protected under the Voting Rights Act since 1975, receive needed assistance
at the polls, if their English language ability is limited. From 1975 to 2000
I was an attorney in the Voting Section of the Department of Justice's Civil
Rights Division. During that time I conducted many investigations to determine
whether Federal Observers would be needed and was present at many elections
to supervise the Federal Observers.
— Dave Hunter, minister, UU Fellowship of Greater Cumberland, Cumberland,
MD
Although I've just come back from maternity leave, I've been involved with
our electoral process in a number of ways: I've worked with about 25 members of
my small congregation as we registered over 100 new voters. I also wrote, and
got published, a letter to the Jackson Citizen Patriot against Michigan's Proposal
2 which would define marriage as between a man and a woman in the state constitution
and spoke at the Jackson Human Relations Council and at Jackson Community College
about this issue.
— Cynthia Landrum, minister, Universalist Unitarian Church of East
Liberty, Clarklake, MI
On Election Day I will be a poll watcher in my own or a nearby precinct within
my State House District. My purpose in doing this is to encourage folks to vote
and to help ensure that no legitimate voter is deprived of her/his right to
vote. (Of course, I'm also hoping this effort will assist in the re-election
of my State Rep. and other candidates of the same political persuasion!)
— Kaaren Hardy, member of the Jefferson Unitarian Church JUUST Democracy!
Task Force, Golden, CO
I am in Orlando, Florida, staying with my parents, and doing voter mobilization
and absentee voter protection work. I will be meeting folks from my church, All
Souls Church Unitarian in Washington, DC, in Tampa to work with the Florida Consumer
Action Network to do non-partisan voter mobilization, canvassing in precincts
up to and including election day. The Tampa UU Church has been an amazing partner,
providing home-stays and work opportunities for all of us.
— Kierstin Homblette, Legislative Assistant, UUA Washington Office
for Advocacy
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| Sue Burke |
Voting from overseas can be difficult, since each state has its own rules.
To help fellow citizens request absentee ballots, I distributed fliers about
web sites with the forms, wrote an article for the leading local English-language
newspaper, and worked at voting registration drives at universities and cafés.
Living abroad has made many of us feel more American than ever, more concerned
about what our country does, and more committed to doing what we can to affect
the policies back home -- because this election will change the world.
— Sue Burke, President, Madrid Unitarian and Universalist Association
I will be part of a team of challengers at the polls. This team has been organized
by a member of our congregation. Numerous members of our church have put up
volunteers from all over the country who have come to help out in this swing
state. Several are precinct captains, others have been canvassing their neighborhoods
tirelessly. Another board member of our church, in addition to me, will be a
challenger at the polls. Others are going to be driving voters to the polls.
— Nell Graham Sale, Albuquerque, NM
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| Kerry Fordyce |
Jefferson Unitarian members have been very active in the election. Canvassing,
calling and poll-watching - not quite as flashy as our work during the Vietnam
War, but just as passionate. During Vietnam, we were overseas with the Army
and later in California. Today we're in the battleground state of Colorado.
I am working HARD to help create a more humane, peaceful and healthy environment
for our children and grandchildren (our daughter is expecting our 1st grandchild)!
— Kerry Fordyce, Jefferson Unitarian Church, Golden, Colorado
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| Lucy Ijams |
I am making phone calls from my home to newly registered voters in Pennsylvania,
Florida and other southeastern states. I have been a member of Faithful America
and received email instructions on how to connect with the VoteAllYourValues campaign.
— Lucy Ijams, minister, Unitarian Universalist Church in Meriden
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| Susan Veronica Rak |
I'll be heading down to Philadelphia on November 1st to be a volunteer with
"Election Protection" on Election Day. I had been thinking about doing this
for a couple of months after getting an insert in my "Working Assets" phone
bill, but kept talking myself out of it… all the while growing more and more
concerned about the election process. So when colleague Rosemary McNatt spoke
at our minister's Chapter meeting, I committed to going. Having to complete
an absentee ballot here in New York City was also an experience in "voting rights"…
it was easy enough to get it done, but there was a definite difference in the
weight put on the event on my part and on the part of the various employees
in the Department of Elections offices in Queens.
— Susan Veronica Rak, minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of
Flushing, Queens NY
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