Women's Justice Campaign

Goals and More Information

UU Voting Rights: Sacred Franchise Campaign 2007-08

Part of AUW’s Protecting Women’s Rights Campaign and a

Working Group of the Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance (MUUSJA

Report to Minnesota UU Social Justice Alliance Board 8.07

GOALS

Expand Our Planning Group to Add Other MUUSJA Congregations

• Building ritual for our meetings to ground our work on UU spirituality
• Follow up on existing contacts and new; send letters, follow up with personal phone calls

Implement General Assembly Resolution – partner with Communities of Color

• Educational programs – give congregations first-hand understanding of issues in voting for people of color; build on last year’s workshops providing insights on racism
• Model programs in MUUSJA that could be used in PSD and nationally – establish local and national contacts
• Partner with groups to address local issues of voting for People of Color

Priorities for 2008 Minnesota legislative session – partner with CEIMN and LWVMN

• Audit Bill – support efforts to pass a statistically significant model for manual audits
• Registration Bill – support SoS efforts to pass a bill facilitating registration 

Activities: network with MUUSJA contacts in problem districts, as needed, with things such as educational events, letter writing campaigns and citizen lobbying

Priorities for 2007/2008 Federal legislation – partner with CEIMN

• Support effective bills – strengthen and pass House and Senate versions of Holt or something better (widespread confirmation of vulnerabilities is leading to state action)
• Activities: network with MUUSJA contacts in problem districts, as needed, with things such as educational events, letter writing campaigns and citizen lobbying; partner with targeted states for state action, as needed

Election 2008 – partner with CEIMN and LWVMN

• Candidate Questions – support efforts to ask all candidates for Federal office to declare their commitment to election integrity (we hope to partner with the LWVMN); post results on CEIMN website. Activities: network with MUUSJA contacts in problem districts, as needed, with things such as educational events and citizen participation in candidate forums

• Audit Observers – help recruit and train audit observers statewide. Activities: network with MUUSJA contacts, especially in problem districts, to recruit volunteers

• Registration Drive – evaluate needs of new voters; consider campaign based on 150th anniversary of UUs in MN (e.g., 150 people commit to registering 150 voters) Activities: TBD 

• Election Protection – consider collaboration with existing groups. Activities: TBD; consider national witness events in Twin Cities 9/08 

Explore building traditions commemorating key dates such as ratification of the 19th Amendment on Aug 18, 1920 (sex), 15th Amendment on Feb 3, 1870 (race), Election Day in November, etc.
Explore partnership opportunities with the Network of Spiritual Progressives

Responsive Resolution Regarding the Report on Racism 

We ask this General Assembly to support a responsive resolution urging Unitarian Universalists to seek insight into problems experienced by communities of color regarding voting.  We make this resolution in response to the report by Rev. Sinkford at the second Plenary on our continued need to confront racism.  Therefore,

“Be it resolved, that the Delegates to the 2007 General Assembly are charged to work with their congregations on the following:

• Where possible, to partner in at least one program on issues of race and voting (such as intimidation, felon disenfranchisement and voter ID requirements) with an engaged non-partisan organization such as the Urban League, ACLU, League of Women Voters or local community group;
• To seek opportunities for education and insight through personal interactions with people in communities of color regarding their experiences with voting;
• To report key insights to their congregations and to next year’s General Assembly.”

Statement in Support:

President Sinkford spoke eloquently of a need for reconciliation in the context of race.  Martin Luther King, Jr. – for whom the boulevard outside is named – said, “The right to vote is the number-one civil right”.   Clearly one avenue of reconciliation is through the long-sought effort to achieve and exercise the right to vote.  The value of voting is deeply grounded for Unitarian Universalists in our 5th Principle, which affirms the use of the democratic process in society at large.  Shamefully, recent elections have revealed widespread efforts to disenfranchise voters – systematically targeting people of color – through denial of access to voting and inaccurate counting of those votes.  This violation of one our most sacred principles gives us a compelling shared value that can lead us to the reconciliation we seek on race.

Resolution was passed at Portland General Assembly June 24, 2007

UU Voting Rights: Sacred Franchise Campaign 2007- 08
Planning Team
An election is not a contest between candidates; rather, it is a survey of the will of the people.

Chalice lighting and readings:

Agenda:
Major Issues

1. US: Supreme Court hearing next week on Voter ID bills – disenfranchises women!
2. US: Dan Rather report as basis to call for Congressional Investigation of potential commercial fraud – CEI working with Ellison
3. MN: need to plug the holes in the metro audit (cover large counties as well as small)

Upcoming Events

• Screening of “Uncounted” on Wed, Jan 30, 6:45pm at Riverview Theater
• Need volunteers day of event: sell DVDs, greet, etc.
• Need help in advance with communications: flyer, emails, postings, etc.
• Need help with personal invitations to VIPs, communities of color
• LWV Mpls City Convention, Jan 12 8:30am-noon: CEI asking them to endorse call for Congressional Investigation
• Breck MLK Day Jan 22 – Caging? Voter IDs?
• St Martin’s Table March 12 – Dan Rather short version?
• PSD Conference Workshop, April 12, Omaha – Voter IDs?

Election Integrity: The Foundation of UU and US Democratic Principles
Potential Events

1. Meet with Communities of Color – several names; need to contact!  Start with Jan 30 event.
2. Considering a CEI VIP event in MPLS – to urge call for Congressional investigation
3. Meet with Mark Ritchie?

Recommended Action from Events

1. Contact Congress for Congressional investigation – esp. Ellison
2. Contact Senate to support Nelson/Whitehouse bill; Ellison’s bills
3. Educate candidates – federal and state
4. Talk about it! – 2004 is in doubt; 2006 had issues; 2008 issues are expected

UUA Campaign

1. Edit our PowerPoint to share with others: clean up; more notes
2. Find out how to respond if Voter ID bills approved
1. Get IDs including registration card?  Can this protect voters from purges?
3. Edit our UUA letter to address latest issues:
1. Overview of issue and GA resolution
2. Voter ID issue and how to respond
3. Call for Congressional investigation
4. Include educational links: bibliography, PowerPoints, Videos, Reports

About Us

- Who We Are
-Organizational Structure &
How We Work Together

Friendship Groups

- How Do They Work?
- Sign up

AUW Visioning

- What’s this about?
- Schedule/Sign up
- Facilitating/Contact

Women's Justice Campaign

- Overview
- Reproductive Rights, Sacred Choices
- RR: SC Highlights and Sign Up
- Voting Rights, Sacred Franchise Campaign
VR: SF GOals and More Info

Goings-on

-Events Calendar