Can AAA Competence, Management and Reporting Process be Trusted in UFT Elections?

How competent is the AAA to conduct UFT elections with massive numbers of voters? Is there somewhat of an illicit relationship between UFT/Unity leadership and AAA officials? Does the AAA show favoritism to the very people who hire them for every election?

 

From Hiro Kawahara, elections director at AAA. 

• He said that they can check to see if individual ballots were received at AAA.
• He is only authorized to give the returned ballot count to the designated point person from the UFT. 
  

There are reports of ballots, mailed, being delivered to the address on the back (the voter) instead of to AAA. Here is one: 

So, I pick up the mail today and I find my ballot returned! And, it's postmarked "1 June 2024 PM 6 L --- UFT retiree and RA candidate.

He lives in New York so I suggested he hand deliver but he is not currently mobile enough and AAA doesn't allow for someone else to deliver.  No way to get another ballot in time and assure it will get there in time. And what about people who don't live in NY? There is no way they can get another ballot and have it returned in time. We need AAA and the UFT to tabulate how many late ballots come in each day after 8 AM on June 14. In fact RA should call for late ballots to be counted because of the failures of the AAA.

And then there were those delayed ballot mailings. May 10 became on or about with a lot more about than on.

Ed Notes May 21: J'Accuse: Unity/AAA Delayed ballots suppress the vote

So we were told that ballots were to go out on May 10 but no one we know received their ballot until at least a week later and many haven't gotten it yet. Then when asked, AAA reported "on or about May 10." I asked a former colleague who is a snowbird and up in Boston now and he hasn't gotten his ballot and probably never will unless he contacts AAA and gets them to send to his summer home. I expect we will have loads of people who ask the AAA for replacements and they do la, di, da and it takes a week to get one and another week for it to get back to AAA? Demand they extend the deadline for ballots received to a few extra days to make up for the delayed mailing and other AAA screwups.

 

But of course that will be rejected, as Unity is all about vote suppression. They are the Republican Party of the UFT.

Unity expects to win this election by bombarding their core with lies and misinformation about the opposition while suppressing the rest of the vote where ever they can.

 

Sunday, June 9, 2024

How competent is the AAA to conduct UFT elections with massive numbers of voters? Is there somewhat of an illicit relationship between UFT/Unity leadership and AAA officials? Does the AAA show favoritism to the very people who hire them for every election?

Over the elections for the past decade I have noticed changes in how the AAA deals with the various parties in the election. 

 

If RA wins, what are the chances Unity protests and calls for a new election?

 

Here are some thoughts:

 

What data does AAA have during balloting process and how much is shared with UFT/Unity? 

We can now confirm that the AAA scans in the cover envelope as the arrive and thus have data on everyone who has voted -- and by subtraction, everyone who has not voted. 

When I asked someone from AAA this same question they said, "No. We scan the day the balloting ends." I didn't see how that made any sense.

 

Now, imagine if someone had this information every day to check on their own core voters and contact those who didn't vote yet? Do we think that UFT/Unity, which hires AAA, would be denied this data? 

This would be collusion. We need inside leakers to actually tell us they saw this data in the past. Feel free to comment anonymously.

What data does the AAA have on results and how they are reported?

You'll notice on the second point made by the AAA election head that they can only report to a designated UFT rep. This is a big change since the days when AAA reps came out to all observers after each division vote count to inform us of the slate vote totals. LeRoy Barr would represent Unity. Now when we see him huddling privately with AAA people he claims he's UFT not Unity. Thus spoketh the head of Unity Caucus. So in recent elections we get zilch until the UFT decides to release the numbers and put its own spin on them, sometimes delaying things for days.

I raised the reporting issue as a member of the 2022 election committee but was constantly deflected. I also asked for school by school breakdowns on how many people voted as a way to check on the work UFC people were actually doing in their schools. I was turned down. Does Unity get to check on the work their own people are doing in their schools? Imagine a tabulation of returned ballots from oppo schools, with the likelihood of being oppo votes?

I will also note recent signs of a la di da attitude and thus a slowing up the count (purposely to create delays?) I used to walk in at 9 AM in the old days and things were humming. Now when I walk in people are just getting there and unpacking boxes. Then we see breakdowns in scanners, extremely limited ability to observe -- now we watch cameras on 2 out of 6 machines on a big screen with frequent stoppages. 

In the 2022 election they didn't even have cameras and told us we couldn't go beyond the ropes to look at the machines. So I raised hell - what are we observing then? They delayed for an hour to set up some cameras and a feed to the screen.

So is there cheating going on? From what I see I assume AAA conducts on honest count. The questions are how competent are they and their cozy relationship with UFT/Unity officialdom. Imagine if we won and hired another vote counting company? Or went to electronic voting? Our election is a potential threat to the AAA bottom line.

For me the dishonesty is how they pass info to UFT/Unity that other groups do not get. But there were times when the count was at the UFT HQ where the uncounted ballots were left overnight, supposedly with a security guard.

School info on voting is a particular concern. 

I asked the AAA guy in the past if we can get info on how many people vote in each school and he said they can generate such reports. In fact the AAA knows who in each school voted though not how because of the inner secret envelope. The outer envelopes are opened and are discarded. As a member of the 2021 election committee I made a reso calling for school data to be reported and Unity reps turned it down but agreeing to some kind of district report - which in the end was pretty weak. Spec Rep Patti Crispino was especially vehement in her opposition claiming school reports would "embarrass" people. Damn right. Imagine district reps and Unity ch ldrs being called to account for vote turnouts in the schools? 

I once asked UFT a key UFT election liaison about school data and he said the UFT didn't pay for that data. Yet insiders say I was lied to and they do have the data.

 

Does Unity have access to school by school data? 

 

Does Trump ever tell a lie?

 

Observers used to have free reign, now they are restricted. Why the change?

There have certainly been increasing restrictions on observers (yes, Covid was a reason so we accepted that.) I observed the last RTC count in 2021 and there were so many delays and we didn't get results for days until the UFT released them, a big change since the days of open reporting. YES - this is intentional. 

 

In last year's special para election they would not tell the two oppo winners the results in terms of counts. Since there were 5 people running, they had no idea how close the ones who lost came -- if they really lost. 

How about those constant jams on the scanners and why don't they have more of them?

So does Unity cheat? What will they do if they get advance results that they are losing the RTC count June 14) or Para election (count June 13). 

For the June 14 count, will we see slate results that day, especially if the election is close or in doubt? We may have to sleep over.

If you want to read on, below I review my own history of observing vote counts and how the AAA has become more restrictive due to orders by Unity/UFT Officials.

------

 

I've been going to UFT election and contract vote counts since the 2004 election (I think I also went to counts in the late 70s) and in recent years have observed disturbing modifications in how the American Abritration Association and the UFT/Unity machine deal with elections.

 

I was involved in the 2004, 07, 10, 13, 16, 22 UFT elections as an active participant and observer and also observed the 2019 election results. In addition I observed the 2005, 2014, 2018 contract counts. And the RTC chapter 2021and the OT/PT 2023 counts. I don't remember but probably observed in the late 70s.

 

For major UFT elections through 2013, the UFT and AAA rented ballrooms from hotels on 7th Avenue around 53rd St. The space was wide open to any UFT member who wanted to observe with total access to looking over the shoulders of the AAA workers as they opened envelopes and ran the vote scanning machines. They counted slate votes one division at a time, with the smaller divisions first so we had results. Now they decide to do the largest first.

 

When each division was completed the AAA guy in charge called all together and gave us the totals for the slates. The booklets with individual votes took a long time and they held that for last -- none of us cared at all about those results. 

 

LeRoy Barr, Unity head, was often there standing with us. Did he talk to AAA people behind the scenes by switching his Unity had for a UFT official? Let's end the fiction that there's a difference.

I was at the hotel in 2013 and all the MORE people had left to go to a "victory" celebration at a bar on 34th St attended by 100 people. I had the results in hand at around 6:30 - same day as vote began and went down to inform everyone we won nothing -- but they cheered anyway. I bet of those 100 people you can count on one hand how many are still involved in MORE. (When you think of it, MORE is now over 12 years old - no comment in the impact on the UFT so far.)

In the 2014 contract and 2016 election there was a change. The counts were at AAA HQ at 120 Broadway, just a few blocks up from 52. The count took place behind a closed door with a large window for us to look in while observers sat around a large conference table. There was limited space and we submitted names to rotate in if necessary. 

 

In 2016 I was there until James Eterno arrived to take my place while I went off to an ICE meeting. James called us at the meeting to let us know we won the high schools, which makes the point that we had results the same day.

 

But we were allowed to go in and look directly at the scanners. Ellen Fox and I would sample a hundred ballots at a time as the day went on and could get a good reading on the ultimate outcome.

So let's jump to the 2019 election when we had 4 caucuses running and lots of observers. Shulman and some NAC, Lydia from Solidarity, Myrie from MORE and I was there I guess as an dishonored guest from ICE which stayed out of the election. I can't remember if we had access to the counting rooms to look over the shoulders of people. We only had a screen with two machine posted and lots of delays and breakdowns.

So the AAA has seemingly become less capable of efficient operation and more tied to the UFT/Unity leadership.

UFT Elections: Illuminating Stats from the past

With ballots for 2022 going out today, it is worth looking back for trends. Here are some views - check out Jonathan Halabi from 2013 - Halabi in 2013 - https://jd2718.org/2013/04/28/changing-membership-changing-electorate

Halabi in 2016 - https://jd2718.org/2016/05/27/uft-election-2016-good-news-good-news-for-more-new-action/

Some thoughts from me in 2016 - https://ednotesonline.blogspot.com/2016/05/more2016-uft-election-vote-count-report.html

• UFT Elections - Mike Schirtzer on Why and How MORE...
• #MORE2016 UFT Elections: My High School Prediction...

And here is some analysis from MORE in 2019 - 

 

Four Caucuses and an Uncaucus - What Is United for Change?

The United for Change (UFC) coalition could have turned into Four Weddings and a Funeral regarding the UFC coalition of groups that have come together for the UFT elections, which are taking place this spring. Some wags were saying the Palestinian/Israeli conflict would be easier.

What are the formal caucuses?
New Action, Solidarity, MORE and Retiree Advocate (RA).

The non - or Uncaucuses - ICEUFT. EONYC, Independent non-affiliated. I'm part of this strand -- we don't think any one caucus or even a bunch of caucuses can reach deep enough into the schools  unless indendent non-affiluated are attracted to the campaign. Too far left turns the center off and too far center turns the progressives off so a meeting of the two is necessary. There are actually some right of center anti-Unity people angling to get in on the action.

Represented so far are people from various left points of view, some non-left progressives, some center left and even some center right people. So far, no funeral, but I always expect the worst so I don't get too disappointed.

Let me explain some thinking. There is a wide range of opinion in the UFT outside the dominant Unity caucus and its supporters. Trying to bring a sense of a united front against Unity from across political lines requires some very sensitive negotiating along the fault lines. Unity can only be seriously challenged if there is one united opposition even if they all don't agree. Now there can be dangers if the group happens to win and I will address the chances of that happening and what it would mean in a follow-up piece,

Let's remind people that just two and a half years ago in the 2019 UFT elections the first three opposition caucuses independently ran against Unity and the results were a disaster with Unity sweeping every elected position overwhelmingly. The oppo vote dropped drastically from 2016.

RA was not formally involved in 2019, though key members were with New Action. ICEUFT, a founding member of MORE, having recently disengaged - or been disengaged from MORE -- sat the election out, though individuals supported carious candidates and caucuses. In essence, ICE had Uncaucused.  I remember one semi-sage urging the groups to run together or just sit the election out with a boycott and let Unity run unopposed--- OK I was the semi - or quarter - sage. 

So this time I did whatever I could to support a coming together while also supporting the alternative idea that if they couldn't agree they shouldn't run -- but also calling for a general uncaucusing for the election. My original idea was to actually uncaucus and form a general election committee that would ask individuals to run, not formal caucuses but that clearly was not an option. I wrote about the United Front idea in April - The United Front: Retiree Advocate/UFT

Retiree Advocate leading role in bringing people together 

Looking back a year ago, I can see that Retiree Advocate, though running in the spring Chapter leader elections with a cast of 130 retirees and its militant leading of a fightback against Mulgrew Care

 (All- Star Cast Joins Retiree Advocate/UFT Slate to Challenge Unity Caucus in Chapter Election)  played an instrumental role in forging the coalition as all caucuses and many independents came out to support us.

RA itself is an example of a merger of various caucus elements. It began as a New Action project over 25 years ago but around 2014 voted to no longer be solely affiliated with New Action in order to attract non-caucus members. 

That turned out to be a good move in that some of us from MORE, ICEUFT and independents joined RA and became part of the organizing committee. The experience of bringing different perspectives to the table was an example of working together --- I often joke that I was now working with people who I hadn't  talked to in three decades. The positive experience was a lesson.

We also received support from independents voices, the most prominent of which was Educators of NYC led by Daniel Alicea, a working teacher who lent us his tech and political expertise. He became a conduit to some of the caucuses and when we proposed joint inside and outside actions at the Delegate Assembly around healthcare issues, a basis was set for all the groups to work together at the Delegate Assembly in the final months of last school year.

That joint work escalated at the September CL meeting and the  October and November and the UFT elections.

 Behind the scenes feelers went out to the various caucuses and independents (like the venerable Jonathan Halabi) about setting up a potential structure this fall to address the spring UFT elections. That this has actually come together, no matter the ultimate outcome, is an exciting event in UFT oppo history. maybe the first time since the 1980-early 90s era.

 Coming next: Does UFC think it can win? Define Win.

See -Ed Notes Sept 12, 2021 - 

UFT Elections: Boycott?- Why Run at all if Unity stacks the deck? - The Sunday Special

UFT Exec Bd Vote Opposing Electronic Voting: Mike Shirtzer and another are Lone Dissenters, 13 Reasons For Electronic Voting as Unity Echoes Republican Vote Suppression, MULGREW SAYS PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE ISN'T PRIVATIZED

Breaking -- UFT Latest Leak - Mulgrew demands leaks be plugged

Do Mulgrew and company really believe that dues-paying members would have voted down an electronic voting option that would increase our union participation and give members increased access?... Mulgrew’s caucus-laden executive board used arguments against our members’ further enfranchisement that were reminiscent of those seeking to suppress and obstruct increased voting rights and voting access in our national and statewide elections. ..... EONYC

UPDATE - Jan. 5, 2022 - Word has filtered through that there was another dissenter in the vote in addition to Mike. 

Oh what fun we are having in the twilight of our life. Later today we go to the Del Assembly (right after a painful urological procedure - hope I can walk) for a holiday party outside 52 Broadway from 3:30 to 6:30 -- come on down. -- Retirees Invite you to celebrate at Dec. 15 Del Assembly as Mulgrew Seeks UFT Women to occupy stage to counter 3 Men in A Room Image of UFT leadership..

UFT Ex Bd report from Monday Dec. 13 - MULGREW SAYS PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE ISN'T PRIVATIZED

The focus of Arthur's report -- NYC Educator UFT Executive Board December 13, 2021--Spring Break, Medicare, Election Committee-- from Monday night's Ex Bd meeting was on Mulgrew's distorted report on healthcare for retirees -- as James reported it - MULGREW SAYS PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE ISN'T PRIVATIZED and reports are he will hit the issue hard at today's DA. 

Let me explain to Mulgrew -- when someone is making a profit on our healthcare that is privatized - just like people running charter schools are making a profit but are calling themselves public schools. So the wonderful people Mulgrew is raving about are private insurance companies scamming and scuttling the public Medicare plan.  And behind the rising costs of healthcare which Mulgrew is abetting.

Is Mulgrew even aware of this? Major Survey Finds 100 Million Americans See US Healthcare System as 'Expensive' or 'Broken'

I will have more to say about Mulgrewcare - which apparently is going into effect on April 1 - Mulgrew comes off as a sleazy used care salesman. Did you see this NY Focus piece from Dec. 9?

New York City Mailed Misinformation on New Health Insurance to Retired City Employees — and Won’t Send Out a Correction -

Hundreds of thousands of retired New York City employees received incorrect information from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration regarding a key provision of a new health plan that the city wants to replace their current insurance with — and, citing a “global paper shortage,” the city is declining to mail out the correct information. Legal documents show that under the new plan, health care providers will have to get approval in advance from insurance companies before conducting certain doctor’s office visits, mental health care treatments, home health care services, and tests such as bloodwork and x-rays, along with dozens of other procedures or treatments. But the city mailed enrollment guides falsely saying that these and other treatments would not require pre-approvals to all retirees who will be covered by the new plan.

Mulgrew silence on this aspect of Mulgrewcare. Then there was this NYC Focus report from last night: 

Judge Orders City to Delay Retiree Health Care Switch Until April 1 Retired city employees will be able to opt out of their newly-privatized health insurance until June 30, the judge ruled

Mulgrew is actually bragging as if this was his idea instead of retirees hiring a lawyer to go to court. I have opted out and will remain opted out at the added costs for both of us of almost $400 a month. Actually, in terms of the UFT election, the delays help Unity because the full effects of the change will not be in effect long enough to piss people off. So maybe it was Mulgrew's idea though I imagine he would have preferred June 1 when the election is over.

Electronic voting Nixed by Ex Bd 99-1--- Mulgrew Says NO video

The other key issue at the Ex bd was endorsing the election committee recommendation not to include electronic voting in the upcoming election following its meeting last Thursday which I reported on last night - UFT Election Committee Meets, Petition Dates Set, Unity (Paid) Election Committee Reps reject UFC call for electronic voting.

If you went to any school in the city and took a poll on electronic voting would 99% oppose it? This is a true indication of how the UFT EB represents the 1% union bureaucrats, not the 99% membership.

Arthur Goldstein reported - I'm not including the lame Unity arguments -- you can read them at NYC Educator--

Michael Shulman--(Election Committee member; Head of New Action, not on Executive Board)Thanks LeRoy Barr for invitation. Thanks Carl Cambria for chairing. Wants to discuss balloting. Favors voting electronically due to low voter turnout. That is key. Not a caucus issue. Big issue is getting membership to participate. Important to be proud of union democracy. We are not moving with the times. About 25% of our membership vote. That is unacceptable. There have been proposals to GOTV, but we are lagging. 

Since pandemic, our union uses secure electronic voting for DA, for CL, for SBOs. Not a radical new proposal. Other public sector unions doing this. We have capability, not as sole source. We could use both. If someone votes both, we could distinguish which came first and that would take precedence.  I come from older generation. I believe many younger teachers use electronic voting. Snail mail alien to them.

I put Shulman's entire comments down below, followed by the 13 points.

Mike Schirtzer (Independent)--Agrees with Shulman. PSC (Professional Staff Congress-CUNY union) has option of online voting. We are in a battle to enfranchise folks who lost right to vote. Eric Adams is looking to union bust. Need to show we are strongest and best union. DA and Town Hall numbers are staggering. We trust AAA to get it right. Teachers under 30 don't know where mailboxes are. Need to open options. 

Mike was elected on the Unity line in 2019 but has remained independent and it showed here. Mike has been nominated to run on the UFC slate for Ex Bd. I trust Mike's political instincts and actually would support Mike if he decided to run on the Unity line, which would make sense for Unity to be able to claim they have one independent voice on their slate

 Here is Shulman's comments to the Ex Bd:

A Missed Opportunity! Unity Votes Down Electronic Voting

By Michael Shulman, Chair, New Action Caucus

The UFT Executive Board had an opportunity to strengthen union democracy at last night’s (Dec. 13) meeting. Instead they clung to time-worn arguments that there was no evidence electronic voting would increase voter turn-out. My request to speak at the Exec. Bd. was agreed to, as I had fully expected. Unity would not leave itself vulnerable to the charge of being undemocratic. After 51 years of union activism, I was certain publicizing a negative reply would only embarrass Unity. They frankly would never allow it. And as an appointed member of the UFT Election Committee, I was in a unique position to make a presentation to the Board.

My arguments were pretty straightforward: Electronic voting would increase voter participation. 

In city-wide UFT elections around 25% of the membership usually vote. I stated that this was not a caucus issue (of course, I suspected otherwise) since it was in everyone’s interest to want higher voter participation. I pointed out that since the pandemic our union was utilizing secure electronic voting at delegate assemblies, voting for chapter leaders and delegates, and for school based options. I pointed to the fact that other public sector unions, such as the Professional Staff Congress, are now using this method for their general elections. I concluded with the reality that the younger generation of educators are using electronics on a daily basis. Why couldn’t we use both – electronic voting and mail-in ballots.

Here are some of the responses from our Unity colleagues:

1)     Nothing indicates electronic voting would increase turnout.

2)     There are a couple examples of voting in functional chapters that did not produce more voting.

3)     Members will use DOE email and cause problems.

4)     Voting on SBO’s has not been a success. We’re not there yet.

5)     The voting in one district is poor and did not increase voter participation

6)     There isn’t time to institute. It is questionable whether it would work. It is an untried idea.

7)     The head of the Retiree Chapter stated it is not certain it would work. We must campaign like Hell. We must do better outreach. The retiree chapter election produced greater turnout.

Only one member of the UFT Executive Board spoke in favor of my proposal. With one exception the motion was denied. Another victory for union democracy?? VOTE UNITED for CHANGE in the spring election. Run with us!

Daniel Alicea of Educators of NYC, a UFC coalition member, came up with the case for electronic voting. He may nail the 13 points to the door of 52.

13 Reasons Why We Should Have An Electronic Voting Option In the Spring UFT 2022 Elections - even if Mulgrew And Company Want To Stop You From Having It.

Do Mulgrew and company really believe that dues-paying members would have voted down an electronic voting option that would increase our union participation and give members increased access?

Last night, Mulgrew and his executive board refused to extend an electronic voting option that was proposed by some in our union’s Election Committee for the 2022 Spring city-wide general UFT elections.

The proposal asks that in addition to our union members voting using a traditional mail-in ballot that we also have an option of securely voting digitally, in lieu of the paper mail-in ballot.

Only 1 executive board member stood up in support of those making the proposal.

Do Mulgrew and company really believe that dues-paying members would have voted down an electronic voting option that would increase our union participation and give members increased access? Who are they representing? Not us.

Mulgrew’s caucus-laden executive board used arguments against our members’ further enfranchisement that were reminiscent of those seeking to suppress and obstruct increased voting rights and voting access in our national and statewide elections.

Last fall, we fought side by side to ensure states like George did not suppress the vote, and yet here is our own union leadership making arguments similar to the voting obstructionists and suppressionists?

Why would they refuse to allow electronic voting in our next election? We can only surmise that large voter turnout threatens Mulgrew and company’s tight grip and hegemony over our union affairs.

The reasons for our union membership being extended access are plentiful, reasonable, and beyond sound.

1. Since the pandemic, we are currently using electronic digital voting in our local chapter leader and delegate elections and for SBOs (School-Based Options).
2. Since the pandemic, our union is currently utilizing secure electronic voting at our virtual and hybrid delegate assemblies among those delegates using the remote option.
3. The recent use of virtual technology has significantly increased member participation in our delegate assemblies and town halls to unprecedented numbers in recent history. Thousands are participating in union matters and union business that were not previously engaged.
4. An electronic voting option would markedly increase member voter turnout and promote greater democratic participation in light of our triennial general elections being typically underrepresented with only about 25% (sometimes less) of the total membership casting a paper ballot.
5. Other local public-sector unions, such as PSC, are now conducting their general elections safely and securely through mail-in and electronic means.
6. In the final cost analysis, it may be a more cost-effective means. We have spent millions in printing mail-in ballots and in paying for workers to help tally the paper ballot votes.
7. When the COVID-19 crisis began, 14 major union organizations, including our umbrella organization, the AFL-CIO, asked the National Labors Relations Board to allow for an electronic voting option within private-sector unions. The subsequent support by our unions for the Protecting to Organize Labor Act, which was recently passed by the House of Representatives, asks for electronic voting as a provision to be codified into law
8. We are disaffecting an entirely new generation of educators by not using the electronic means they use daily for every aspect of our lives. Our elections are over-represented by retirees who may still be using traditional snail mail but we are not capturing the will and votes of our younger in-service members.
9. Today we can apply, sign and pay a mortgage electronically. Many no longer use snail mail, at all. There's no reason that if these types of secure transactions happen daily that we can't vote in our next election, electronically and securely. The technology is readily available.
10. The transition to an electronic voting option would be seamless with the American Arbitration Association, the company our union has used for years to conduct fair and secure elections. They offer an electronic voting option and use many of the reasons we delineate why this is an optimal and preferred option.
11. With an antagonistic new mayoral administration being sworn in, in January, we need a union that is energized, active, and mobilized. Nothing more would signal weakness than if our union feels disconnected and disengaged and that it displays apathy by not turning out in huge numbers for our union matters.
12. We are seeing a new surge of COVID-19 this winter and our own state has tightened up on mandates once again. We don’t know what things look like for us in the spring and with the United States Postal Service in the midst of flux, shortages, and increased delays relying on mail-in ballots, right now, is not the most reliable or safest method.
13. Ultimately, increased member voter participation fosters trust and an empowered democratic voice to build a better and stronger union.

It’s time we vote out Mulgrew and Company. Vote United For Change in the Spring 2022 elections.

Meanwhile, let’s make sure we mobilize now and tell Mulgrew and our union leadership that WE DEMAND an online electronic voting option for our next election.

Send them an email. Call our union office. Let your district and boro reps know we will not relent on this option.

AAA details the benefits of online electronic voting. This is the company the UFT presently uses for conduct its elections.

The views expressed by the individual authors of The Wire are their own. They do not necessarily express the views of The Educators of NYC community.

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