Today is Election Day. Today, we have another opportunity to live into our values, to choose hope in the face of fear, and to take collective action toward a democracy where all people are free, safe, and thriving.
In March, we launched UU the Vote: Ignite Solidarity, Reimagine Democracy, knowing what was at stake, but also what was possible. Together, we have met this moment with compassion, courage, and a steadfast commitment to one another.
We have sent thousands of text messages and made thousands of phone calls to voters. We have mobilized to protect abortion access in Missouri, defend trans youth in Colorado, and restore voting rights in Virginia. We supported canvasses in Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. We have recruited hundreds of poll workers and election defenders, stood in solidarity with our immigrant neighbors, and organized in response to the Supreme Court's decision in Louisiana v. Callais, which dismantled Black political power and protections established by the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
And we have taken this work on the road, not simply to get out the vote, but to tell a new story about who we can become together. Through 12 UU the Vote Solidarity Summits, we have forged relationships, strengthened regional networks, and joined communities taking action to Free DC, protect early voting, and fight harmful data centers.
We have come this far because people like you believe in the power of love to overcome hate when we live our values.
In this final stretch, Side With Love proudly co-sponsored the 2026 Freedom Rides, a project of our partners at Vote Common Good and Faith Out Loud. Together, we retraced the historic 1961 Freedom Rides route from Washington, DC, to New Orleans, bearing witness alongside original Freedom Riders and their families. Along the way, we met voters, organizers, faith leaders, and community members whose lives were shaped by the courage of 1961, and whose futures will be shaped by the choices we make today.
These were not simply stops along a journey. They were living expressions of hope and resilience, reminders that faith communities have a powerful role to play in the struggle for justice. At the final worship service of our pilgrimage at Xavier University, Bishop Erika D. Crawford reminded us that while New Orleans marked the last stop of this ride, it was not the end of our journey.
Beloveds, the work continues because love endures. Love transforms fear into courage, setbacks into renewed determination, and strangers into neighbors. Every act of resistance and every expression of solidarity strengthens a web of relationships rooted in mutual care, shared dignity, and collective liberation.
The Freedom Rides of 1961 came to an end, but the movement to desegregate the South and secure voting rights for Black Americans continued. Likewise, today marks the culmination of our get-out-the-vote efforts, but not the end of our commitment to a multiracial democracy.
Our work continues after the polls close. We must ensure every vote is counted, help voters cure their ballots, defend our elections, and organize again and again against injustice.
We need you with us for the journey ahead. Make a gift to UU the Vote today and help carry this work forward beyond Election Day. Your contribution sustains the organizing, rapid response, faith-rooted advocacy, and community-building that allow us to keep showing up for one another. Together, we can ensure that Election Day is not the end of our journey, but a foundation for what we build next.
Beloveds, as we head to the polls today, let us remember: Elections do not have the final say in the world we are building. But elections matter. They can shift power, create opportunities for accountability, and open doors to new relationships between people, communities, and those who represent them. They invite us to imagine a different story about who we are and who we might become together.
We can already glimpse that future in the people showing up today: neighbors giving rides to the polls, volunteers serving as poll workers, organizers protecting the vote, and communities creating spaces of care to sustain us through whatever comes next.
Let these acts remind us that our work is never in vain when it is grounded in love, guided by our values, and offered in service of one another and our collective liberation.
Our journey is not over. Our work is not finished. May today, and every day that follows, be a resounding invitation to side with love.
In faith and solidarity,
Nicole Pressley
UUA Organizing Strategy Team Director
Show up Grounded, Resilient and Responsible on Election Day and Beyond!
Make a Plan to Vote!
🗳️ Election day is Nov 3. Find your polling place, check your voter registration status and more!
Protect the Vote!
☎️ If you experience or witness election interference or voter intimidation, call the election protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-Vote.
#CandlesOnCorners Election Night Vigils
🕯️ Minnesota is sending out a national call. Please share the call to join neighbors with #CandlesOnCorners on Election Night when polls close and then post pics and video of your vigils to keep the community care rolling! Full info and graphics to share are here: https://bit.ly/candlesoncorners
Commit to defend democracy!
🖊️ Sign the No Kings Election Defense Pledge to join actions in the event of rapid response mobilizations. Our job doesn’t end when we cast our vote. Commit to be part of the historic mass movement to save American democracy.
Watch: Tune Up to Show Up
📺 From knowing your rights, rapid response communications, and safety, this training is a quick refresher on how to show up faithfully.
Nov. 4 - No Kings Post Election Call: What Happened
📣 In the event of election interference or sabotage, the No Kings movement will gather on November 4 to share real-time updates, align on the election defense strategy, and provide clear next steps for attendees to take in defense of democracy.
Nov. 9 - Side With Love’s The Gathering: Declarations of Democracy: UU the Vote Round Up
📣 Join Side with Love's Nicole Pressley, President Sofía Betancourt, musician Glen Thomas Rideout, and other special guests to strengthen your spirit, make sense of this moment in our democracy, and take meaningful action.
