10forTen-6
Electoral Count Act Reform — Quiet, Steady, Collective Work
Dear friends,
One of the most meaningful parts of the past decade has been UUSJ’s steady, values-rooted engagement in building an inclusive, pluralist democracy. This work has rarely been glamorous, and it has never been easy — but it has always been essential.
In 2021–2022, many of us worked alongside national partners to support the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. Volunteers showed up for briefings, wrote letters, and joined calls. When the bill ultimately failed in the Senate, it was a disappointment felt across the justice community.
But our volunteers did not give up. UUSJ pivoted to a more targeted opportunity: reforming the Electoral Count Act of 1887. The updated Electoral Count Reform Act, passed in late 2022, strengthened the process for counting electoral votes and helped safeguard future elections.
This was quiet work. Steady work. Shared work.
What was the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act (2021–2022)?
This major democracy protection package combined two efforts:
- The Freedom to Vote Act (2021), focused on voting access, election standards, and protections against partisan interference.
- The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act (2021), aimed at restoring and strengthening the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
UUSJ supported both bills separately.
The combined bill, the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Acts, ought to:
- protect voters from discrimination
- establish national standards for early voting and mail-in ballots
- prevent partisan manipulation of election administration
- restore federal oversight of states with histories of voter suppression
Despite broad public support and strong engagement from faith-based partners, the bill did not pass in early 2022.
What is the Electoral Count Reform Act (Passed December 2022)?
After the Senate failure of the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act, attention turned to updating the Electoral Count Act of 1887, the law governing how electoral votes are counted.
The Electoral Count Reform Act (2022) sought to:
- clarify the Vice President’s ceremonial role
- raise the threshold for objections to electoral votes
- protect against attempts to overturn certified election results
- strengthen the process for determining legitimate electors
Many lawmakers were new to election law, and faith-based partners played an important role in education, moral framing, and steady advocacy. UUSJ volunteers added an early UU voice for calls to update and UU energy to a much larger collective effort, helping reinvigorate faith engagement at a moment when many groups were unsure how to proceed after the Senate failure on voting rights.
The bill ultimately passed in December 2022, representing a meaningful step toward safeguarding future elections.