At our May 23rd meeting, we asked attendees to use a checklist to identify what topics folks want to see addressed at future UVC meetings. And, at the suggestion of one of the members of the UVC Leadership Team, we set up a “Worry Bucket” and invited people to tell us what is troubling them.

The checklist and the Worry Bucket both pointed in the same direction—the Constitutional crises posed by the current administration, and what we, as individuals, can do about it.

Yep, we’re all scared and we don’t like it.

As Upper Valley-ites in both states know, the mid-term elections scheduled for November 3, 2026 are critical to the future of our states and our country. New Hampshire and Vermont will vote for governors, state legislators, executive council members (in NH), Representatives, and in New Hampshire, a Senator to replace Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring.

So over the next few months, the Upper Valley Coalition is preparing a series of programs on the fundamentals of democracy at the federal, state, and local levels in preparation for the 2026 elections. These programs will include action items for you as well as a little homework. (You should know that President Fubar’s administration is already planning for the midterm elections so we need to be more ready than they are.)

First up at our meeting on June 29—We the People: the United States Constitution. The media is full of the term “Constitutional Crisis.” But what, exactly, does that mean? When was the last time you sat down to read the document on which the whole American enterprise rests?

The Leadership Team of the UVC is putting together a panel of Constitutional experts to talk about the U.S. Constitution, what it is supposed to be, how it can be used or misused, and what we need to do as individuals to defend it. Here’s your homework: Read the U.S. Constitution for yourself. If you were a delegate to the state convention tasked with adopting the Constitution in 1788, what would you think about this new way of people governing themselves? Make up your own mind about its meaning, and bring your questions to our June 29 meeting.

For a PDF link to the Constitution, click here.

For extra credit, print out a copy of the Constitution or purchase a hard copy of it and read it in public so that other people can see what you are
doing. Discuss it with friends and family members. It’s as challenging now as it’s ever been. Travel-size copies of the U.S. Constitution are available through online bookstores such as Better World Books and Thriftbooks so you don’t have to shop at You-Know-Where.