Election Day is upon us

Tuesday, November 7, if you plan on going to the polls rather than voting through the increasingly popular absentee ballot. Either way, we are warned of the vulnerability of that particular method. Still, I have already mailed in my own absentee packet (complete with two stamps), and I urge you to find your way to vote.

Many of us feel confident in making the choices for the political leaders who will represent us in Washington , Sacramento and locally, but the ballot gets trickier when it comes to the long list of ballot initiatives. Some of these items are issues near and dear to the hearts of Unitarian Universalists, being worked on in our Legislative Ministry office in Sacramento . For example, the UULM urges you to vote yes on Proposition 89, which supports electoral reform. To make well-informed decisions on all of the ballot initiatives, I encourage you to use readily available resources such as www.uulmca.org/virtual_meeting, the California State Voter Guide, the League of Women Voters Smart Voter Guide and the very telling Institute of Government Studies http://www.igs.berkeley.edu/library/election2006/ endorse2006.html” \t “_blank List of Supporters and Opponents of all Propositions. All of these resources can be found online.

Last year in my column, I wrote urging you to vote against Prop 73, which has now come back to the ballot in its latest incarnation as Proposition 85. This is one of those tricky initiatives that at first glance might make you think it’s a good idea (waiting period and parental notification before termination of a minor’s pregnancy). Please inform yourself before filling in your absentee ballot or going to the polls.

This is a good place for me to quote from our District’s online newsletter Currents, written by our District Executive, Cilla Raughley. She reminds us of the rules for religious institutions to protect our tax-exempt status. Our congregations are encouraged to get involved in political/social issues, but must avoid taking partisan stands. We can, for example, support or oppose ballot initiatives, and we can engage in voter registration drives; but we must not favor one political party or candidate over the other. Individuals, of course, including our ministers, may campaign on behalf of anything they wish—but they must not do so on behalf of their congregations or Unitarian Universalism.”

As part of our covenant as Unitarian Universalists we agree to affirm and promote the use of the democratic process“…in society at large” which means that voting is more than just a civic duty, it is central to our values as religious liberals. I wish you peace, and connection to the larger whole. ~Katie