Delegates selected a new Congregational Study/Action Issue for 2010-2014: Immigration as a Moral Issue. The new CSAI was selected after a runoff vote Saturday morning between two of the original five proposed Study/Action Issues: CSAI 2, “National Economic Reform: A Moral Imperative,” and CSAI 3, “Immigration as a Moral Issue.”

None of the proposed issues received a majority of votes during Friday’s plenary. Moderator Gini Courter reported the numbers from Friday’s vote were: CSAI 1 Energy, Peace, and Justice (200 votes); CSAI 2 National Economic Reform: A Moral Imperative (263); CSAI 3 Immigration as a Moral Issue (520); CSAI 4 Ending Slavery (15); and CSAI 5 Revitalizing American Democracy (201). The majority of supporters for Ending Slavery voted instead for Immigration after Deborah Pembrook of the UU Fellowship of Santa Cruz County, Calif., who spoke as the sponsor of the Ending Slavery CSAI at Friday’s plenary, asked delegates to vote instead for Immigration as a Moral Issue because the slavery issue is interwoven with the immigration issue.

A hearing on the newly selected Congregational/Study Action Issue will take place tonight from 4-5:15 p.m. in Convention Center room 201. Update: The hearing has been rescheduled to Sunday morning from 10:30-11:45 a.m. in Convention Center room 201.