Midterm Postcards As the November midterm elections are approaching, we are ramping up our UU the Vote efforts. Please help us get out the vote in critical areas around the country by completing Reclaim Our Vote postcards to be mailed to voters in early October. We provide the postcards, addresses and informational labels, you provide the stamps. Some stamps are provided for groups who need them. Contact us for more information - Betty Williams or Meta Thayer. For more information about the UU the Vote partner, Center for Common Ground, please see Reclaim Our Vote . Thanks so much for your interest and participation in our UU the Vote efforts . We had a great turnout on July 7 and organized approximately 2,000 postcards and materials into packets for UUC community to prepare for sending to “Get Out the Vote” for the midterm elections in Georgia and North Carolina. Way to go, team! We also learned about Common Power’s voter outreach efforts across the country. We can volunteer locally, nationally, and/or contribute funds. For more information: Common Power . We have some of those packets in the UUC Office available to sign out and complete. If you are part of a group at UUC, please ask the group if they want to write some postcards at a gathering. Our Soul Matters group had a social event and completed 20 postcards while enjoying each other’s company recently! We will be in touch in late August with more information and postcards for the Texas and Alabama midterms. Washington State Ballot Initiatives Important information about some Washington state initiatives that will be on our November 4 ballots: League of Women’s Voters posted this information about the Anti-Trans Girls and Women in sports initiatives : https://www.lwvwa.org/NO-on-I-638-and-I-001 . The campaign opposing these initiatives is No Hate in WA State: https://nohateinwastate.org . Initiative 645 on the ballot is to reverse the income tax for millionaires that was passed by the legislature this past session. Here is information about the law that was passed: https://budgetandpolicy.org/resources-tools/2026/03/Updated-3-3-BPC-Millionaires-Tax-FAQ.pdf . ~UU the Vote Co-chairs Meta Thayer and Betty Williams

From UUC's Climate Action Team As I write this (July 26, 2026), air quality is good in Seattle. And in 2025, there were only three days in Seattle in which smoke affected air quality. That said, consider having on hand a 20" box fan and a 20" furnace filter to build an air filter in the event of poor air quality. Use a MERV 13 or FPR 10 filter—both capture at least 85% of tiny airborne particles—and find the instructions here: https://deohs.washington.edu/sites/default/files/AirFilterInfographic_FINAL.pdf (and below). To check on the current air quality : https://www.iqair.com/air-quality-near-me and type in location. To see a record of the air quality over the last few years : https://pscleanair.gov/640/2020-Data-Summary .

On July 22, a group of eight UUC members and friends attended a t our of the King County Elections Office. It was very impressive to see our democracy in action. Key Points: The security and transparency are quite intense, with all of us being required to put our phones and bags in a locker before the tour. Even paper and pens or pencils are not allowed up to the secure second floor. No one can enter the area in the center of the second floor, where the ballots are handled, without a badge and code for the doors and all entries are recorded. Visitors can walk the hallway all the way around the perimeter of the second floor to view the activity in the center from all sides. Anyone can visit at any time for a self-guided tour. And if you want a guided group tour, you can schedule with them ahead of time. There are live webcams trained on each of the activity areas that can be viewed online by anyone: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/about-us/security-and-accountability/watch-us-in-action . The King County Elections staff has created a Voter Intent booklet. When a ballot is marked in a way that the machines cannot interpret, employees use the standardized interpretations of oddly filled out ballots, so it’s not just up to the judgement of the individual ballot reviewers to decide. To avoid any need for your ballot to be reviewed for intent regarding how you marked your choices, be sure to review and strictly follow directions for completing your ballot. Key tips include: (1) be consistent in how you mark each vote, as apparently if you fill in a bubble and put a check on others, your ballot will need to be pulled for reviewing, (2) sign and date the outside of the envelope using your official signature — every ballot envelope signature is compared by a human every time against your official signature on file (the same as on your driver's license, passport, etc.), and (3) include an email address or phone number on the envelope, so the Elections Office can contact you if your signature doesn't seem to match the ones on file closely enough. Any of this signature "curing" is done before the ballot envelope is opened. To view your voter registration information, track your ballot and read about the contests on your ballot, see My Voter Information - King County . This is also the place to sign yourself up for text or email ballot status alerts. Update your registration information or signature here: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/how-to-vote/register-to-vote . This is also the link to provide to folks who want to register for the first time . You can get a v ideo tour of the Elections Building on their website: https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/elections/education-and-outreach/take-a-tour#toc-Watch-a-tour-video . We learned that King County Elections gets visits from delegates from election teams from around the U.S.—and around the world—who want to learn from them to improve their own practices. We all left being even more impressed with what an effective and safe election system we have in King County! ~UUC's UU the Vote Team

Thursday, August 20, 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. in Nathan Johnson Hall by appointment

UUC has a job opening for a part-time director of the All Voices Choir, our multi-age choir of children and adults, beginning in September. Monday evening rehearsals and one or more Sunday services per month. See job description for details and application process.