Now that the national elections are over and the results of most of the contests are decided, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is encouraging members and supporters to become even more involved as agents for social change through Defending Democracy activities.

“The real work of Defending Democracy begins after Election Day, because it is what happens between elections that is a greater challenge,” said UUSC President Charlie Clements. “It is the kind of day-to-day organizing that encourages U.S. citizens who may never have participated in a local initiative to not only do so, but to begin to think of it as a daily habit.”

UUSC believes that while participating in elections and the electoral process is an important part of civic responsibility, defending democracy and protecting civil liberties must be an ongoing process. Citizen involvement in the political process is essential to building and maintaining a robust democracy.

During the past year, the Service Committee was part of a broad national effort to organize, educate and mobilize citizens to help ensure maximum voter participation in the crucial national elections. The program included several Defending Democracy workcamps to inspire and train young people to become electoral activists, Defending Democracy forums in discrete geographic areas to organize and train social activists in election-related actions, and educational materials designed to inform voters about important issues in the presidential campaign.

“I want to thank all of those who were involved in voter registration, issue education, or get-out-the-vote efforts whether with Defending Democracy (UUSC), Faithful Democracy (UUA), or other organizations' programs, said Mr. Clements. “I think we can be proud of the fact that collectively we helped thousands of individuals become more involved in the political life of this country.

“After monitoring elections in Guatemala last November, I've often described how indigenous people waited in line for hours to vote in that crucial election. I have also said I wished Americans would take that responsibility as seriously. In our own national election, the patience required to vote in some locations was enormous and we congratulate all of those who stayed the course to make sure their voice was heard.”

With the elections behind us, UUSC will move forward with its initiative to develop and support statewide networks of Unitarian Universalists that will continue the work of Defending Democracy at the local, state and national levels. Though there no longer is the ‘excitement' of the national elections, the Service Committee will continue to nurture, grow, and fund these networks, which define themselves through the issues of importance to them rather than what is important to us. At the same time, we hope these networks will be there to mobilize for us on national or international initiatives such as the STOP (Stop Torture Permanently) Campaign, which also is part of our program priority to defend civil liberties and democratic processes.

This year, the Service Committee has either initiated the formation of new networks (New Hampshire and Florida), encouraged the growth of existing ones (Wisconsin and Minnesota), or supported already well-developed statewide networks (California and Michigan) to promote the participation of Unitarian Universalists in public policy debates as well as insuring they register to vote, get to the polls, and have access to issues education materials for the 2004 elections. For more details, visit State networks continue work of Defending Democracy.

UUSC's initiative to build statewide networks of social activists has very little to do with the elections and a lot to do with encouraging Unitarian Universalists and others to make their values heard in public policy debates. People generally get involved in issues they are ‘excited' about, so we began the effort in a number of what we call ‘excitable' states, or states where people are more likely to go to the polls because they think their vote can make a difference.

In the coming year, the Service Committee has plans to add five more state networks. If you would like to become involved or for more information, please contact Jackie Ladd at 800-388-3920, ext. 218.

Posted Nov. 3, 2004