Unions Join Forces to Protect Voting Rights
October 12, 2006
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The IAM is joining forces with AFL-CIO unions and allied organizations in a nationwide effort to ensure minority voting rights are protected in the upcoming mid-term elections.
“From the Florida debacle that delivered the White House to George Bush in 2000 to the vote count scandals in Ohio four years later, it is clear that partisan efforts were made to suppress fundamental voting rights in minority communities,” said IAM Executive Assistant Diane Babineaux. “Local union activists and volunteers will take part in the AFL-CIO 2006 Voter Protection Program, targeting 25 cities across eight key states, including Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”
Voter turnout is critical in midterm elections, where as many as 30 million fewer voters participate due to the absence of a presidential contest on the ballot. “There are 36 states electing governors in addition to 436 House seats and 33 Senate seats up for grabs in this election,” said Babineaux. “The stakes could hardly be any higher.”
