Thank You from Our Faith, Our Vote 

It’s been one week since election day and people across the nation are experiencing a myriad of different emotions. Many are looking toward the next few years with a sense of resolve and hope for change. As we each consider the future political landscape, it is critical to take time to nurture our souls. Be gentle with yourselves and with each other, because there is still more work for us to do together in the coming year. 

Regardless of the election outcome, the Our Faith, Our Vote team is incredibly proud of what the UCC network has accomplished as a faith community over the past year. So many individuals and congregations worked tirelessly to encourage their neighbors to Vote With Love. The Civic Action Center, where voters could check their registration status or register to vote, had over 2,500 visitors. 373 of the Vote With Love yard signs were claimed and displayed at churches and homes across the country. Sojourners UCC in Charlottesville, Virginia used their signs as tools in weekly acts of public witness to encourage everyone to register to vote, holding their signs high as cars whizzed by their church.  Many congregations, like Cleveland Park Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington D.C., partnered with the Center for Common Ground, a nonpartisan Black and women-led organization, to send thousands of postcards to voters of color in swing states, providing information on where and how they could cast their ballots. Our Forty Days of Prayer series, offering prayers each day leading to Vote Faithfully Sunday, was shared over 2,600 times across social media. And these numbers do not even reflect the countless one-to-one conversations held between inspired individuals working for a just world for all.  

Our community also made strides in educating others about voter suppression and impediments to the voting process. Our Faith Our Vote organized several webinars that focused on helping congregations navigate their roles as sources of trusted information during the election. During the Be Prophetic, Not Partisan webinar, UCC General Counsel Heather Kimmel and Rev. Michael Neuroth discussed the dos and don’ts of political engagement while maintaining a 501(c)3 tax exempt designation. The Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared webinar offered critical resources on combatting misinformation and the importance of protecting the election process. Our webinar on Toxic Polarization and Partisan Divides, featuring Abigail Cipparone (UCC Domestic Policy Advocate), will undoubtedly remain relevant as we navigate a deeply divided country. Finally, on election day itself, we gathered hundreds of UCC advocates, members, and leaders for an Election Day Prayer Vigil to remind ourselves of our values, affirm we are not alone, and commit to the work ahead.  

It’s clear our faith community was eager to participate in this sacred rite of democracy. Perhaps most importantly, by participating in Our Faith Our Vote, you promoted faith in the American democratic process at a critical moment. We collectively chose to have faith in one another and in our democracy, and we will continue to do so as we demand with loud voices that our nation recognize and celebrate the humanity of all.  
 
On behalf of the United Church of Christ, thank you. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jennifer Richardson is the Campaign Organizer for the Our Faith Our Vote Campaign of the UCC Office of Public Policy and Advocacy in Washington D.C.

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