Background
Supporting the democratic process in our congregations and in our society at large is the 5th Principle of Unitarian Universalism. For decades, Unitarian Universalists have engaged in voter registration and voter rights work as an expression of our values. Working to end disenfranchisement is one way we can show people that their vote and their voice matters and it helps hold electoral officials as well as ourselves accountable for living out the values we express.
In recent years, Unitarian Universalists have been part of a groundswell of voting rights, electoral work, and democracy movements that have gained momentum since the 2016 US elections. In 2018, the UUA supported significant organizing in Florida and Ohio to push back against the system of mass incarceration that keeps so many low-income communities and People of Color from exercising their right to vote.