10 Reasons Your Vote Matters

October 18, 2010

This message comes from Larry Scanlon, AFSCME Political Director.

"If you let public employees vote, what do you think they are going to vote for... Can you vote yourself a pay raise? No, and neither can I. Bill Bureaucrat and Pam Paperpusher can, though, and they do." National Review Online, 10/13/2010 "Disenfranchising Bill and Pam"

They're not just calling us names, they're saying public employees shouldn't be allowed to vote. Even Pat Sajak — yup, the Wheel of Fortune guy — is fanning the flames in his blog post: "Public Employees and Elections: A Conflict of Interest?" (You can read more at Media Matters.) Public service workers are being used as punching bags more and more. Yet, we're the ones on the front lines trying to provide more services with less resources. That's why the stakes couldn't be higher for AFSCME members this election. Ready to help make a difference this November? Join the AFSCME mobile action team to get campaign alerts and other important updates, and sign up to volunteer — we'll connect you with election activities in your area. It's time for us to say NO to candidates willing to slash public service jobs and benefits — and say YES to candidates that will fight for working families. There are so many reasons to vote on November 2. Below is a list of just 10 of them:

			Your Job: With cities and states trying to overcome significant budget shortfalls, some candidates want even more cuts to public services — that means more pink slips for working families.
		Your Friends and Family: The same members of Congress who opposed unemployment insurance extensions — for our friends and family who can't find work — say they support working families. They can't have it both ways.
			Your Rights: Too many candidates like to scapegoat public service workers instead of really solving problems. They oppose workers' basic freedom to organize. The Ohio candidate for governor said he wants to "break the back of organized labor." Being an AFSCME member is about electing leaders who will stand with us.
		Our Progress: We helped pass historic health care reform so that no one is denied care for pre-existing conditions, so our children can stay on our plans until the age of 26, and so everyone can have health care. Some candidates in this election want to overturn it.
			Your Job: If fighting off cuts and furloughs to balance budgets wasn't enough, we also have to defeat those who want to give big business tax cuts to ship your job overseas.
		Their Money: Special interests and corporate front groups are dumping millions of dollars into the elections. Middle-class families can't match their money — but we can beat them at the ballot box.
			Your Money: The Bush tax cuts will either be ended or extended by the next Congress. These cuts favor the very wealthiest Americans and do nothing to help the middle class that is struggling to make ends meet.
		Your Retirement: Not only could more public service jobs be privatized, but Social Security — the lifeline for so many retired workers — could be privatized, too.
			Your Benefits: The key benefits that we fought hard for — pensions and health care — stand to be raided to meet budget shortfalls if anti-public worker candidates win in November.
		Your Job: Like the Senate candidate in Nevada said, "As your U.S. senator, I'm not in the business of creating jobs." Working families can't let folks like this represent us in Washington.

The elections — and the direction our country takes — are going to be decided by a small number of votes, so your vote matters a great deal. In addition to getting out to vote on November 2, I hope you'll consider doing a few more things to help:

• Sign up for AFSCME mobile alerts
• Volunteer with AFSCME

We only have 15 days until November 2 — let's make them count. Thanks for everything you've done and will continue to do to make our country stronger for working families.