Advocacy

Click Here for a .pdf of our Faithful Democracy Resource

Voter work is not limited to registering, mobilizing, and educating voters. Our democracy requires vigilance and action on the part of citizens committed to equal opportunity. There are many ways to support voter rights, in addition to your congregation's registration and mobilization drives. Voter work can continue after the November 2004 election by channeling your congregation's energy into advocacy areas which inform voters and strengthen our democracy.

Here are some resources which will help you to carry out voter advocacy and education work:

• Unitarian Universalists for Verified Voting has taken the lead on helping UUs take action in response to the General Assembly passing an Action for Immediate Witness on Electronic Voting. Also, see our special page on Poll Monitoring and Security.
• Our Democracy Our Airwaves Campaign seeks to require television and radio stations to provide more and better information to voters before elections.
• The Civil Rights Coalition for the 21st Century provides resources for the Help American Vote Act (HAVA). Under HAVA, states must meet new federal requirements, including provisional ballots, statewide computerized voter lists, “second chance” voting, and disability access.
• Right To Vote Campaign to End Felony Disenfranchisement An for the estimated 3.9 million Americans who have permanently or currently lost the ability to vote because of a felony conviction.
• Demos, a Network for Ideas and Action , offers information and resources on Election Day Registration (EDR). Election Day Registration, also known as “same-day voter registration,” permits eligible citizens to register and vote on Election Day in six states. Those states boast higher-than-average voter turnout and report few problems with fraud, costs, or administrative complexity.,
• People for the American Way published a Voter's Bill of Rights in 2002 which informs voters, in plain language, precisely what their rights are at the polls.
• Support Time to Vote According to the Census Bureau, the number one reason why millions of registered voters did not vote in the past two presidential elections was because they did not have enough time on Election Day to get to the polls and fulfill their responsibilities at home and at work. Time to Vote is a non-political, non-partisan initiative energizing America's democracy by ensuring that all registered voters who want to vote have the time they need to vote.
• Help secure congressional voting rights for the District of Columbia so that all U.S. citizens can participate in our democracy.
• You may want to hold a multi-issue, non-partisan candidate forum in your community. The Michigan Parent Teacher and Student Association has a comprehensive resource for 501(c) 3 organizations on "How to Run a Candidate Forum." Be sure to adapt the resource to your needs as a congregation.

Contact Sarah Craft, UUA Voting Project Coordinator, voting@uua.org , with questions, resources, concerns, news, reports, and ideas about your congregation’s current or potential voting project.

Sign up for the UUA’s Voter-News E-mail List for weekly updates on voter resources and a chance to share your congregation’s activities and successes.

Unitarian Universalist Association
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