A look back at the forward movement

The Election 2004 campaigns ushered in a new level of political activism for many AFT affiliates. In the weeks and months leading up to Election Day, an army of energized AFT members joined with others in the labor movement to inform union members about the key issues surrounding November’s national, state and local elections.

Support for healthcare reform and the funding of public schools and government services, as well as a history of advocating for the right of workers to form and join unions, were among the key factors in the AFT’s and organized labor’s endorsement of candidates for president, Congress and state and local offices.

The unprecedented effort by AFT affiliates to mobilize members and get out the vote for education- and worker-friendly candidates has given a tremendous boost to the political action capabilities of affiliates nationwide. Now, more than ever before, AFT affiliates have activists who are highly motivated and a political structure that will make these affiliates influential players in initiatives and elections ranging from local school funding levies to gubernatorial races and congressional contests. They are also well-situated to be forceful voices in upcoming debates over federal and state legislation. The political outreach efforts of AFT affiliates during the campaign season are likely to reap some long-term benefits.

Youth vote makes an impact
AFT higher ed locals help spur turnout

A survey taken a few days after Election Day showed a 28 percent surge in the number of 18- to 29-year-olds who voted. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civil Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland, 20.9 million voters ages 19 to 29 hit the polls Nov. 2 —about 4.6 million more than in 2000. That’s 51.6 percent of all 18- to 29-year-olds, compared to 42.3 percent four years ago.

Lines at university polling stations were long, and students stood for hours to cast their ballots. “In the days leading up to the election, there were lines that extended for blocks,” reports Todd Reynolds, co-president of Graduate Assistants United/AFT at the University of Florida, where voters could cast their ballots early. “We had students who were looped around buildings,” says Sue Kaufman, president of the University Professionals of Illinois/AFT. “These students truly energized the campus.”

Some of this increase in the youth vote was due to advocacy groups, including high-profile Rock the Vote and, of course, the unions. The University of Michigan’s Graduate Employees’ Organization organized its first political committee for the election and called every member twice—before and during the election. Myriad events at the State Universities of New York drew young voters: Campuses competed to register the most voters, and rallying events involved celebrities, trivia games, dress-like-the-candidates contests, live bands and giveaways. These efforts resulted in more than 20,000 new registrants, says Tom Kriger of the United University Professions/AFT.

Still, the proportion of young voters—17 percent of all voters—is unchanged since 2000. Union organizers and others are studying how to increase that number.