Tag: voting

Unreturned Mail-in Ballots Could Swing Election

Did you return your mail-in ballot? Do you know someone who applied for a mail-in ballot who hasn’t returned it yet?

As of Friday, a shocking number – 32%  – still hadn’t returned their mail-in ballot for processing in Pennsylvania, according to the U.S. Elections Project.

At this time, we do NOT recommend mailing your ballot in due to unpredictable delays in the postal service. 

Instead, please speak with your friends and family to ensure everyone who applied for a mail-in ballot uses a designated dropbox, satellite elections office or their county board of elections. VotesPA.com offers a search engine to find your local drop off location, click here.

This is no joke. Your actions in reaching out to family and friends could decide the election. Four years ago, Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by fewer than 50,000 votes.

Currently, more than 980,000 mail-in ballots have not been completed and/or returned to their county boards of election.

As you may have heard, there is a dispute over when ballots have to be received. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court granted a three-day extension beyond Nov. 3. Republicans twice appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and their appeals were rejected. But in a recent opinion three conservative justices have left open the possibility that ballots received after Nov. 3 might still be ruled invalid.

So please return your mail-in ballot in person ASAP!

TAUP Midterm Elections Brief How You Can Make a Difference, Day 2

eBulletin 20180920

Day 2: Please Donate to TAUP’s Committee on Political Education (COPE) Fund

TAUP endorses candidates for elected offices who support strong public institutions, education, labor unions and workers. We can support candidates in several ways. We can inform our members of candidates we feel will fight for our issues; our members volunteer to help with phone banks, or to work with other union members knocking on doors in candidates’ districts; and we can offer financial contributions through our Committee on Political Education (COPE). We’ll be in touch shortly about the candidates we’ve endorsed and others endorsed by our state and national affiliates, along with how you can help their campaigns.

COPE is not funded by dues. It is supported through separate, optional donations that many members choose to make every month through payroll deductions, or in a single donation during critical election cycles. The COPE fund is overseen by TAUP’s Treasurer, Norma Corrales-Martin. Officers and other elected TAUP representatives meet with candidates to discuss issues that are critical to members. Once candidates are vetted, recommendations are sent to the Executive Committee for final voting on decisions about COPE spending.

Not every battle can be fought at the bargaining table. As we’ve seen recently, some are fought in the courts, in City Hall, in state houses, or at a federal level. The upcoming elections are critical to many public institutions, and there are many excellent candidates who need support.

Please consider contributing to COPE. You can make a one-time donation to offer an extra boost to candidates in this important election cycle, or you can choose to make a regular COPE contribution from your monthly paycheck. Donations can be for any amount, and even small contributions of $1 to $5 per month help.

Contact the TAUP office if you’d like to start or increase your COPE donation. If you’re interested in a one-time contribution, you can make a check out to TAUP COPE and bring or mail it to the Union office:

Temple Association of University Professionals

American Federation of Teachers Local # 4531 AFL-CIO

1301 Cecil B. Moore Avenue

Ritter Hall Annex 721 (004-15)

Philadelphia PA 19122-6091

 

Be sure to read Friday’s e–Bulletin, which will highlight the candidates that TAUP’s Executive Committee has voted to support.

 

*TAUP is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers/AFT, AFT-PA, and the AFL-CIO

TAUP Midterm Elections Brief: How You Can Make a Difference, Day 1

e-Bulletin 20180919

 

Day 1: Help New Faculty, Staff and Students Register to Vote

This week we’ll be sending a few short ebulletins detailing ways that individuals can make a difference in the upcoming November elections.  Please forward this information to new faculty, staff and students, and anyone who has recently moved and may need to change their address.

The deadline to register to vote in the midterms is different in every state:

Pennsylvania: October 9, 2018.

New Jersey: October 16, 2018

Delaware: October 13, 2018

 

Pennsylvania

Three years ago Pennsylvania launched an online voter registration site. It has been used by over a million people who were either registering to vote or to changing their registration information. You can also register when you are applying for a PA driver’s license. Students who will be 18 by November 6th can register.

 

Check Your Registration Status http://bit.ly/2MGzpEH

Find Your Polling Place http://bit.ly/2MFPABW

Voter Registration Application http://bit.ly/2MF6Uap

Absentee Ballot Application http://bit.ly/2MH6Nel

 

New Jersey

In New Jersey, you must fill in your county’s application form and deliver it to your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections.

Find the link to your county’s application form   http://bit.ly/2MH5FqU

Find the link to your County Commissioner of Registration or Superintendent of Elections  http://bit.ly/2MGArAz

 

Delaware

Voter Registration Application  http://bit.ly/2MFGLs0

Find Your Polling Place  http://bit.ly/2MFT7Ac

Check Your Registration Status  http://bit.ly/2MFT7Ac