AFL-CIO Registers 450,000 Voters from Union Homes

by Kate Childs Graham  |  October 19, 2012

This year, the AFL-CIO – of which AFSCME is a leading member – registered more than 450,000 voters from union households. Many of these newly registered voters have AFSCME to thank.

AFSCME members have been making phone calls and visiting work sites, encouraging their sisters and brothers to register. Members like Josette Jaramillo of Local 1335 (Council 76) in Colorado – a key swing state – have spent their evenings and weekends signing up dozens of voters.

In addition to member-to-member contact, AFSCME sent out registration forms to members previously unregistered, making the process as easy as opening their mailbox.

All that effort – combined with the efforts of the AFL-CIO’s other affiliate unions – added up to more than 450,000 registered voters.

What does this mean for the election, now less than three weeks away?

In 2008, 59 percent of voters from union households backed then-Sen. Barack Obama, with 39 percent backing his opponent. With the onslaught of attacks from right-wing governors in recent years, pundits expect union support for President Obama to be just as strong this year, if not stronger.

Voter registration: another example of the union difference.