Promoting Democracy

Swing Voter Letter Writing Campaign

Our congregation is participating in Vote Forward, the nonpartisan get-out-the-vote initiative. As of mid-July, 2020, over 2500 letters have been written by Mission Peak UU congregants. Each letter is personally addressed to a voter in a highly contested area of the nation, in states such as Arizona, Colorado, Florida and Michigan. The recipients were on the rolls in the last election but did not vote, so we are trying to give them a little “nudge” by telling them why we vote. Again, it is nonpartisan and no candidates are mentioned. We hope to have 5000 or more letters penned by our congregation by mid-October, and Vote Forward is aiming for 10,000,000 get-out-the-vote letters overall. Statistics show that 3–4% of letter recipients actually do vote, so the effect on the election could be huge.

For those who are willing and able to supply their own stamps, envelopes, paper, and a printer, you can use the Vote Forward website to print and complete GOTV (get out to vote) letters. https://votefwd.org.

Please email Kathi Bayne with how many letters you have completed so we can include you in our tally. kabayne@gmail.com

Even if you don’t have the stationery and supplies, contact Kathi anyway. No one will be turned away! It’s voter expression, not suppression!

Youth Voter Action Effort 

The photo was taken at a Registration event at James Logan High.

Following the terrible high school massacre in February 2018, the survivors from Parkland, Florida organized a nationwide voter action movement for gun violence prevention. In Fremont, a high school student, Mike Dunkle and his mother Julie, set about to register local youth to vote for their future in time for the 2018 mid-term elections. The Parkland Initiative is now called the Youth Voter Movement (YVM), aiming expand youth voter registration and turnout. Only about 8% of 18-year-olds vote. YVM contacts student leaders and educators on high school campuses to organize voter information and registration events.  In collaboration with the school’s Social Science faculty, YVM student and adult volunteers and the League of Women Voters conduct comprehensive voter registration events for juniors and seniors.  In the Fremont/Union City /Newark area, over 3000 high school students registered to vote during six weeks of drives spanning the 2018-19 school years. 

Mission Peak UU Congregation has supported YVM with Share the Plate collections. Our members Valerie Stewart and Kathi Bayne are part of the registration events. Adult Volunteers can sign up at youthvotermovement.org.