February 2, 2023

This announcement verifies that the Rev. Dr. Sofía Betancourt is the sole nominated candidate to be the next President of the Unitarian Universalist Association.

Rev. Dr. Betancourt was nominated by the UUA Presidential Search Committee on November 15, 2022. Rev. Betancourt accepted the nomination. As previously announced, a second candidate identified by the Presidential Search Committee did not accept the nomination.

No additional candidates for UUA President qualified to run by petition. Individuals were able to become a candidate for UUA President by receiving petition signatures from fifty congregations in three regions of the Association between December 1, 2022 and February 1, 2023. The deadline for petitioning candidates to submit the required documents was February 1, 2023, and no petitions were submitted by that date.

As the UUA Secretary, our Association’s officer overseeing elections, I am announcing that a referendum election on Rev. Dr. Betancourt’s nomination will be held this year. This will ensure delegates can participate in our democratic process on behalf of their congregation. For this election, the ballot will open starting June 1, 2023, and will conclude at a posted time on Saturday, June 24, 2023 during General Assembly. Delegates will have the opportunity to express their support for or against Rev. Dr. Betancourt’s candidacy. This is consistent with the UUA Board of Trustees’ November statement about assuring that an election occurs.

Additionally, there will be a series of four presidential candidate forums, starting in March, to allow delegates and members to learn more about Rev. Dr. Betancourt. Planned in concert with the Election Campaign Practices Committee with support from UUA staff, each forum will offer both on-site and virtual participation. The formats, schedule, and locations of these forums will be available soon. There will also be an additional forum during General Assembly in June.

All Unitarian Universalists are welcomed and encouraged to engage with the presidential candidate forums and the process as a whole, to ensure our next UUA President may establish the foundation for their leadership with broad participation.