Some of you have been asking: How did we do at achieving Good Trouble status at UUCP?
First, I want to say that the UUCP Community really stepped up to the plate, and I am so proud to be part of a community that not only lives their values, but fights for them. Election results have been a mixed bag, even as some races are still too close to call. But across the country, and for the most part in AZ, voters have made it clear that they prefer our current Democratic system to the alternative. Whether our preferred candidates won or lost their individual races, we can be thankful that in general, our Democratic system (and our 5th Principle) will be intact for the next election cycle. The UUCP community, and UUs across the country have been instrumental in motivating and assisting voters in swing states to exercise their right to vote. Whatever part you played, whether large, medium, or small, it mattered.
Now, for the numbers. As you may or may not recall, in order to reach Good Trouble status, we needed to meet 4 of 8 goals established by the UUA. Those goals were:
- Average 200 Text Messages per member
- Obtain Signatures for ballot initiatives (this was added after the fact, and I don’t have the percentage)
- At least 2 Congregants are Line Warmers, Poll Watchers/Observers, or Poll Workers (Voter Protection)
- Average 20 Postcards or Letters per member
- Average 20 Phone Calls per member
- Average 20 Door Knocks per member
- Reach 20% Volunteer Engagement
- Average 2 Newly Registered Voters per member
As of Friday, November 18, we have achieved 3 of 4 requirements, and are very close on the 4th! We achieved a whopping 230% of the Ballot Initiative signatures required! We topped 150% in the Voter Protection Category! We sent 116% of the required Text Messages needed. And… we are at 94.9% for Letters and Postcards needed to put us over the finish line!
And… the good new is, if we can take our Letters/Postcard numbers up to 100% during the GA run-off, we will receive Good Trouble status for our Congregation. What does this mean? We will receive a large UU the Vote Gift Box with UU the Vote swag, gifts, and party favors. We get to attend a post election Good Trouble Congregation celebration with President Susan Frederick-Gray, the Side with Love Team, and other Special Guests! Ya’ll went above and beyond this election season. Do you have it in you to write 20 or more additional letters or postcards?
This Sunday, November 20, We will have 70 postcards available, along with a list of names, for you to pick up before or after service. The postcards need to be mailed by November 23.
Or, you can encourage voters in historically under-represented communities in Georgia by printing and writing letters from Vote Forward . The mail date for the letters will be Tuesday, November 29. We still have postage available for those who could use some help with that.
If postcards and letters just aren’t your thing, there will be opportunities for Phone banking to GA voters of color, to empower them to vote in the run-off with the Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda , now thru December 6.
And please, don’t forget to report any electoral activities you haven’t already reported to goodtrouble@phoenixuu.org or UUtheVote AZ. Thanks to everyone who helped UU the Vote on November 8. Whether we ultimately make the Good Trouble Congregation status or not, we can all be proud that we made a huge difference in this election!
Jenny and Jon
Your Good Trouble Coordinators