Published On: October 27, 2020

We are officially one week away from Election Day! This election is the most critical vote many of us will have cast in our lifetimes, and we cannot stress enough the importance of voting as soon as possible. Early in-person voting will continue to take place through October 30, and you can vote in-person on Election Day, November 3, as well. If you are voting by mail, please send your ballot IMMEDIATELY in order to be counted on Election Day – today is the recommended deadline from the USPS to mail in your ballot. You can also drop your mail-in ballot at one of the state-sanctioned ballot drop-off boxes. All voting information can be found on the Secretary of State’s website, and you can check out all of the opportunities to support the Biden/Harris ticket and Democratic nominees down the ballot below and at btu.org/btuvotes.

AFT President Randi Weingarten’s October “What Matters Most” column ran in last Sunday’s New York Times. It’s a closing argument for a Biden/Harris administration and against the re-election of Donald Trump, and a call to get out the vote and to count every vote. For all those who believe in democracy, public education, labor unions and justice for all, the clear choice to lead our country is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.   

The BTU will also be joining the Greater Boston Labor Council’s Get Out the Vote Event on Sunday, November 1. In the meantime, please see below for all of the ways to get involved in this November’s election. Don’t forget to vote!

While our district continues with remote teaching and learning, we continue to advocate for a safer, better plan for our HIPP students. BPS agreed to convene a joint HIPP Task Force yesterday afternoon, and we met with members of the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SpedPac), Boston Education Justice Alliance (BEJA) and Boston Student Advisory Council (BSAC) to begin dialogue on a stakeholder informed plan. We will continue to work with the SpedPac, BEJA and BSAC to jointly advocate and work with BPS to get all of our students what they need to be successful during this pandemic.  

Lastly, while we were glad to see progress and history made last week during the School Committee vote on the exam schools policy for this year, we were deeply dismayed by the comments caught on mic by the school committee chair. See our full statement. Moments like these, while sadly not a surprise to many people of color, must be used as an opportunity for deeper growth, learning and understanding of true racial equity and respect.  

Throughout this election cycle, our volunteers have made over 4,500 calls to AFT families in Maine, New Hampshire, Iowa, and Florida, plus hundreds more through other AFT phone banks. With only seven days before Election Day, we need your help in our last push to make sure everyone votes for the Biden-Harris ticket and to make sure that every vote is counted. Sign up today to help us!
  • TODAY, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 5 to 7 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 31 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. are our last two BTU Phone Banks prior to Election Day! Make sure to sign up for a shift.

  • ¿Habla español? Call Latinx voters in Florida and Nevada on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Shifts are 5 to 8 p.m. and 8 to 11 p.m.

  • Join an AFT to AFT phone bank. For the final four days of the election, we will be finishing strong, with shifts available from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. We will be calling different battleground states for the Biden-Harris ticket and Senate candidates throughout the day to make sure our AFT votes are in!

  • Please visit our BTU Votes page for more information on phone banking opportunities, need-to-know dates, endorsed candidates, and more!

In addition to our efforts nationally, we have also endorsed State Senator Becca Rausch for re-election. If you would like to support Senator Rausch’s campaign, you can sign up for phone banks, lit drops, and other events on her website. Be on the lookout for events with special guests, including a Halloween phone bank with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley!

Do you have an action plan for Election Day? The most helpful thing you can do is make phone calls to ensure people have voted or that they go vote before polls close! However, if you are interested and able to stand at a polling place in your area,please fill out this form so the political team can make sure you have signs to hold or drop one off with you if you don’t.

There are several important City Council meetings and hearings happening within the next few weeks. Visit our Political Action page for more info.

If you have any questions on how to get involved, please reach out to Roberto Jimenez, BTU Political Organizer via email or at 617-466-9149 or Johnny McInnis, BTU Political Director via email.

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