AFL-CIO Reaching Thousands of Voters Through Ground Campaign
Media Release for October 29, 2014
Contact: Jeremy Sprinkle, Communications Director, [email protected], 336-255-2711
NORTH CAROLINA AFL-CIO REACHING THOUSANDS OF VOTERS THROUGH ON-THE-GROUND EFFORTS
Union members turning out the vote to elect and reelect candidates who will stand with workers
RALEIGH, N.C. (October 29, 2014) – Noting that “issues important to the everyday lives of North Carolina’s working families are too important for us to leave any stone unturned,” North Carolina AFL-CIO President James Andrews announced today that their Get Out The Vote program is on track to fill 1,500 volunteer shifts and reach 60,000 voters before Election Day.
"From state-of-the-art voter contact programs to good old-fashioned shoe leather, we are using every available tool to turn out our voters,” said Andrews. “From the U.S. Senate campaign to state and local races, we believe that the hard work of union members can make the difference on Election Day, and we will keep at it until the polls close on Tuesday.”
In a recent Washington Post story, a Columbia University professor and expert on political turnout said that efforts to get people to vote can make the difference, citing previous elections in North Carolina.
“We are using new technology to identify and target key households in key areas, and we're making multiple contacts via phone and face-to-face conversations to get them to the polls,” added Andrews. “While union members can’t compete dollar-for-dollar with the Koch Brothers, Karl Rove, or Art Pope, a good ground game can move results by a percentage point or two, and that can make all the difference in a close election.”
North Carolina AFL-CIO volunteers across the state say that most people they talk with know how important this election is for working families here and that voters are highly focused on issues like fully funding public education, increasing the minimum wage, protecting Social Security and Medicare, promoting pay equity, and ensuring basic economic fairness.
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The North Carolina State AFL-CIO is the largest association of local unions and union councils in North Carolina, representing over one-hundred thousand union members, fighting for good jobs, safe workplaces, workers’ rights, consumer protections, and quality public services on behalf of ALL working families. PO Box 10805, Raleigh, NC 27605.
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