Unprecedented political activism will have long-term benefits for AFT affiliates and their members

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.

Hundreds of members from locals in non-battleground states used buses or carpools to help in battleground states. NYSUT members fanned out to New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Florida. AFT officers dropped into many political hot spots: AFT secretary-treasurer Nat LaCour went to Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota and Missouri; AFT president Edward J. McElroy touched down in Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania. Executive vice president Antonia Cortese worked to get out the vote in Ohio.

“Our Ohio members made an unprecedented effort to get their members more politically active and they did this by mobilizing around issues,” observes AFT vice president Antonia Cortese, who rallied workers in Toledo.

The effort and enthusiasm of AFT affiliates and their members was remarkable, LaCour says. “As I traveled around the country, I was overwhelmed by the level of commitment I found among both leaders and rank-and-file members. They were determined to get the word out about our issues and the importance of getting everyone to the polls.”

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. The political outreach efforts of many AFT affiliates during the long campaign season are likely to reap some long-term benefits.

Youth vote makes an impact

Early news of a dismal youth voter turnout was one of the big disappointments of Election 2004. Turns out those initial figures were only temporary.

A new survey shows a 28 percent surge in the number of 18- to 29-year-olds who voted. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at the University of Maryland, 20.9 million voters ages 19 to 29 hit the polls Nov. 2. That’s 4.6 million more than in 2000, and 51.6 percent of all 18- to 29-year-olds, compared with 42.3 percent four years ago.

Lines at university polling stations were long and students stood for hours to vote. “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 vote early. “We had students looped around buildings,” says Sue Kaufman, president of University Professionals of Illinois/AFT. “These students truly energized the campus.”

Other reports from the University of South Florida, Pennsylvania State University, North Carolina and New Hampshire prompted analysts to call the youth vote “unbelievable,” a “crusade” of “historic” proportions, with votes “pouring in.”

Some of this was due to advocacy groups, including highly visible Rock the Vote and, of course, the unions. The University of Michigan’s Graduate Employees Organization assembled 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—remains unchanged since 2000. Organizers are studying how to increase that number. “I would like to see the dialogue about politics started much earlier,” suggests Bella Muntz, vice president of GEO. “I really think it could make a difference.”

Dave Kamper, Illinois Federation of Teachers field service director, says he will work toward opening more IFT student chapters. Kaufman, also in Illinois, is anxious to begin. Referring to a Molly Ivins column advising, “Now is the time. Don’t mourn. Organize,” she adds, “We have to suck it up. Just get out there and keep on keeping on.”