Media Contact:
Suzanne Morse
Ph: 617-948-4650
Email: pr@uua.org

Boston, Mass. (April 22, 2026) – More than 400 Unitarian Universalists (UUs) and others joined the March 25th launch of UU the Vote, the Unitarian Universalist Association’s (UUA) nonpartisan civic engagement initiative focused on inviting people of faith to deepen their commitment to democracy by organizing in their communities, supporting voter engagement, and strengthening the civic culture that sustains a healthy democracy. The effort was launched at a virtual event that featured a keynote address from Caitlin Breedlove, former Side With Love Campaign Manager and former Deputy Executive Director at Women’s March, and Nicole Pressley, the UUA’s Organizing Strategy Team Director, along with UU the Vote staff India Harris and Samm Pheiffer.

“When we talked to you, sent out surveys, talked to the State Action Networks and our partners, and said, ‘What is UU the Vote for this moment?’, the answer kept coming back – bigger, stronger, more companionship, more training, more support. And so, we built it,” said Pressley, in describing how the initiative will look during this midterm election year.

At its core, UU the Vote is grounded in the belief that democracy is more than elections. It is created through the ways people show up for one another, build trust across differences, and embody their values in public life. The campaign seeks to nurture that culture of participation while equipping congregations and community leaders with the tools needed to organize effectively in their local contexts. In 2026, the campaign plans to focus on reaching more than 1.5 million voters, organizing at least 25 voter contact actions, and engaging over 1,000 volunteers nationwide.

“[Community organizing] is a team sport, my friends,” said Breedlove to launch event attendees. “And it’s a contact sport. We win or lose based on how in touch we are, how close we are to that grassroots, on-our-knees level that I have learned so well. Even now, especially now, I think so much is possible if we get back down to that local level.”

The UUA successfully conducted its first UU the Vote initiative in 2020 and continued voter mobilization, get out the vote, and election defense efforts in both 2022 and 2024 through this nonpartisan program. In 2024, UU the Vote volunteers contacted more than 2 million voters through text, phone calls, postcards, and door knocking efforts, and more than 50 UU congregations were designated “Good Trouble Congregations.”

“I hope that you all fall in love with people over and over again,” Pressley said to attendees at the 2026 kickoff event. “Today, we know what we’re up against. It will take skill, it will take strategy, it will take money, but it will take deep, radical, and unrelenting love that throughout history has made the impossible possible. Because I believe we have not seen our biggest victory yet.”

UU the Vote will again partner with organizations on the ground in key states where voter suppression and intimidation are rising and where communities will be significantly impacted by ballot measures. UU the Vote is planning mass trainings and activations through Solidarity Summits in Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. Among others, partner organizations include Power the Polls, Reclaim our Vote, Vote Forward, Vote Riders, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Amistad Movement Power, Puenteaz, and Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), along with UU State Action Networks (SANs) across the country.

For more information on UU the Vote, please visit Side With Love’s website at sidewithlove.org/democracy. Additionally, you can read more about the launch event at UUWorld.org.

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About the UUA:

The UUA is the central organization for the Unitarian Universalist (UU) religious movement in the United States. Our faith is diverse and inclusive and the UUA’s 1000+ member congregations are committed to shared values and principles that hold closely the worthiness and dignity of each person as sacred, the need for justice and compassion, the right of conscience, and respect for the interdependent nature of all existence.