Member Benefits
How to Join
En Espanol
As the days left before Election Day dwindle, the AFT Votes bus continues its work: It’s already held more than 110 events in 40 cities and 16 states, and traveled thousands of miles to get out the vote—and we’re not the only ones. We’ve crossed paths with GOTV buses from Higher Heights, Black Voters Matter and Unidos. The American Civil Liberties Union has been on the road too, and we’ve done joint events with the Common Ground Over Chaos bus from New York State United Teachers and with the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades bus.
These are our partners in the effort to get Kamala Harris and Tim Walz elected—indeed, to save the nation’s democracy and ensure that we can advance the kinds of policies that will help, not hurt, working families, public education, healthcare and public employees. And there are many more. Among those we’ve met on the road—at rallies, town halls, roundtables, book giveaways, panel discussions, canvassing kickoffs and more—are many other organizations informing voters about their rights and making sure they are registered to vote, including Voces de la Frontera Action Fund, the NAACP and PFLAG, the organization dedicated to supporting, educating and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them.
We’ve also engaged with a diverse community of “for Harris” campaigns: Black Women for Harris, White Dudes for Harris, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Harris, LGTBQIA+ for Harris, and even Hotties (Gen Z) for Harris.
No doubt we will continue to work with these partners long after the election.
Barbershops and books
In Milwaukee, we visited Gee’s Barbershop, where we coordinated free cuts for kids and talked about the power a gathering spot like this can have in educating and bringing together our communities. In Detroit, we partnered with AFT Michigan, Black Men Vote and Detroit Action for an event we called Brothers and Ballots, where we discussed the critical role of Black men in our communities and at the ballot box in 2024.
Four community leaders had a frank conversation about what we could lose should Trump take the White House, and how Black men voting can help prevent that. Trump wants to get rid of the Department of Education and jeopardize public schools, which have been “a great equalizer” in this country. And he attacks unions; instead of allowing working people to take collective action, Trump wants to “put our government in the hands of corporations and rich folks who don’t care about Black men, don’t care about any person but themselves,” said Denzel McCampbell, managing director of Progress Michigan.
Despite reports that Black men don’t vote, said AFT Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick Ingram, they actually do turn out at the polls, and this year their participation is crucial. Bringing about “change and justice and equality is a marathon,” said Ingram. “It is about what you are going to do with your leg of the race.” He is optimistic, though: “Our voice is bigger than [in] my father’s time, than [in] my grandfather’s,” he said. “We have the collective power to make change.”
Also in Detroit, the AFT connected with the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement for a Latino leaders roundtable, where AFT Executive Vice President Evelyn DeJesus, who is the president of LCLAA, joined a discussion about what drives Latino families to vote: economic opportunities, jobs and the economy, reproductive rights, secure retirement, education, immigration, and the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
In Chicago, LCLAA was on hand for a rousing labor rally. “We are all in a race between fear and hope. Between making life harder for working people and their unions and opening the doors of opportunity” said DeJesus. “Our journey toward justice is not a sprint but a marathon.” In Washington, D.C., the AFT was on hand as MANA, A National Latina Organization, celebrated its 50th anniversary and discussed getting out the Latina vote.
The AFT participated in canvassing kickoffs with food, music and book giveaways with advocacy groups Poder Latinx and Mi Familia Vota in Arizona and Nevada, two states where Latino votes will matter most. There was a press conference with Poder Latinx on National Voter Registration Day in Fresno, Calif.; a Latino leaders’ roundtable in Minneapolis; a partnership meeting with Justice for Migrant Women in Sterling, Ohio; and voter education with the Hispanic Federation across several boroughs of New York City.
The AFT joined numerous Souls to the Polls events in four different states—where church leaders rally their congregations and help them get to the voting booths. In Wisconsin we held a community and labor mixer to connect local union leaders and community partners who share our vision on equity—including PFLAG of Madison. And there was a luncheon with the Divine Nine—a group of powerful Black sororities and fraternities—along with Black faith leaders, the NAACP and other members of the community in Gary, Ind.
These are not unusual connections for the AFT. Year-round, we work with other organizations that share our values. The NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators and more often share the podium and the streets as we march for justice. We may join them on discussion panels, attend their conferences, invite them to speak at our events and yes, sometimes fund their projects, which are frequently aligned with ours.
As AFT President Randi Weingarten likes to say, “We are stronger together than we could ever be alone.”
To watch a video about the AFT Votes bus tour, click here.
[Virginia Myers]