Organizing in Solidarity: August Update from UU the Vote
Elections are about people. This primary season has made clear that the future is still up for grabs. Some are fighting for a future rooted in cruelty, exclusion, and domination. Our work proclaims another possibility: a world grounded in care, abundance, belonging, and shared power, where every person and community can thrive. Yesterday, voters in Missouri rejected a proposal that would have made it more difficult for citizen-led constitutional amendments to qualify for and pass at the ballot box. This Fall voters in Colorado will decide if they want to reject hate and honor the worthiness and agency of trans youth. In Virginia, they will decide whether Virginians want to protect abortion access. In North Carolina, they will decide if the people united in faith and justice are ready to confront a massive Christian Nationalist effort to change the landscape of their elections.
What happens next will be shaped by the power we build and the commitments we make today!
UU the Vote Solidarity Summits invite people across faiths to build power together to build the power and care networks we need to defend democracy and protect our communities. Join one of the over 10 UU the Vote Solidarity Summits happening across the country!
Elections matter, but our neighbors experience democracy every day—in whether they can feed their families, live free from violence, access health care, and know they belong.
As people of faith, we know this well.
Our electoral work is not separate from the work of protecting immigrants, defending bodily autonomy, confronting racism, or building economic justice. It is one expression of our commitment to a world rooted in care, abundance, and mutuality.
What faith communities do in this moment will play a defining role in our collective future. There is tremendous power in our values, the talents of our members, and the assets we steward. Organizing in solidarity is how we put that power to work for the sake of our wider communities.
Here are three ways to engage this Fall:
1. Attend a Solidarity Summit
Gather with community members, faith leaders, and movement partners to prepare for the election season ahead—and for the growing authoritarian attacks on our communities.
Across the country, people are facing the cruelty of this regime. But we are not powerless. Together, we can build networks of care that keep people safe, strengthen our communities, and sustain the hope and courage we need for the long haul.
Solidarity Summits are free and open to everyone who are ready to organize, build together, and prepare our communities to fight for one another.
Memphis, TN: September 18-20
The strengthening and strategies of southern organizing shapes the entire country.
From law enforcement occupations, attacks on politics like redistricting, and ecological and economic threats of data centers, TN is rising as a site of faith-filled, cross-issue organizing to resist authoritarianism and building live-saving infrastructure to keep communities safe.
Join TN Congregational Action Network, partners, and special guests Rep. Justine Pearson and author and journalist Emily Yellin at the TN Solidarity Summit, Sept 18-20.
D.C.: September 19
Whether you’ve been working for years to protect democracy or are just beginning to reflect on the stakes after the Supreme Court decision to gut the 1965 Voting Rights Act, we invite you to gather with us at Camp Democracy. You will learn from seasoned community organizers who know what it takes to bend the arc of history toward justice and gain the tactical skills needed to stand firmly and courageously on the side of love. Camp Democracy will also be a chance to restore your spirit, deepen your connections, and form new relationships with people who share your values and your hope for a more just future.
Williamsburg, VA: September 26-27
Two-day Solidarity Summit for Virginia-wide constitutional amendment issues on the November ballot. Hybrid conference with speakers, panels, workshops, and advocacy action sessions, hosted by Williamsburg UU with online satellite sessions throughout Virginia.
Springfield, IL: September 26
Illinois UUs - add your STAR to our CONSTELLATION of power for social change and bring our shared values to life! Starting with the strengths and needs of our Central Illinois siblings, we will converge at Abraham Lincoln UU Congregation for SOLIDARITY CENTRAL, our UU The Vote Solidarity Summit in Illinois! During this one-day gathering, we will strengthen our mutual support networks and talk about ways to build a better future together. We are building a stronger interdependent web that can weather the storms of authoritarianism, dreaming BIG about what collective faith organizing can look like where we live! Come BUILD with us! See you in Springfield!
Houston, TX: October 2-6
UU the Vote with our State Action Network Partners are hosting Solidarity Summits to build power along frontline partners. Join us the weekend of October 2-4 in Houston, TX for our Texas Solidarity Summit. The Solidarity Summits are a place for learning and practice.
Duluth, MN : October 3
Join MUUSJA and WUUSAN (Minnesota and Wisconsin's state action networks) for a regional interfaith UU the Vote gathering in the northland. Across faith traditions, we are increasingly called to respond to authoritarian violence, community harm, and democratic crisis with care, coordination, imagination, and action. This Solidarity Summit is designed to build relationships spanning urban and rural contexts and to strengthen our capacity for justice-centered, spiritually rooted organizing that sustains long-term transformation.
Colorado Spring, CO: October 3
Solidarity Summit, organized by UUCAN (UU Colorado Action Network), focusing on defeating the two anti-trans ballot measures in Colorado. Held in Colorado Springs: All Souls UU Church. Join us! Solidarity, community, action, skill-building, community and faith partners. We come together to build power in bringing our UU values to the public square. We need you! Join us and bring others
New Haven, CT: October 17
Hosted by the Connecticut UU Justice Ministry, and with help from partner organizations across Connecticut, we are inviting justice-seekers of all ages from around the state to build relationships, skills, and shared practices for justice, democracy, and collective liberation. This is an intergenerational event, and families are encouraged to attend together. Whether you are a longtime community organizer or activist, or whether you are seeking a way to get involved for the first time, there will be something for you at our Solidarity Summit.
2. Join Election Protection Training — August 11
Join UU the Vote and Power the Polls on National Poll Worker Recruitment Day.
August 11, 2026 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET
Democracy requires more than casting ballots; it requires protecting every person's freedom to participate. Learn how you can help safeguard voters, respond to intimidation, and support safe, accessible elections in your community.
Our faith calls us not only to vote, but to organize. Not only to resist injustice, but to build the relationships, skills, and institutions that make another future possible.
Join us this fall as we ignite solidarity, defend democracy, and help create a future where everyone can thrive.
3. Reach Faith Voters and Combat Christian Nationalism
We’re partnering with UU Justice NC and their Dogwood Faith Project for a deep canvass of faith voters in North Carolina. In 2025 the American Renewal Project launched the Nehemiah Project, a $48,000,000 campaign to advance Christian nationalism in North Carolina. This year, the Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry of North Carolina launched a five-year effort to powerfully combat this threat. In partnership with other members of the Blueprint NC Faith Table, UU Justice NC will train & activate hundreds of UUs to engage in deep canvassing & voter outreach in strategic areas of rural NC.
Join the national training and phonebanks!
NC Deep Canvass Training: September 9 @ 7 PM - 9 PM ET
NC Deep Canvass Phonebank: September 10 @ 7 PM - 9 PM ET
