Make your voice
heard at the polls

y the time you receive this issue of NYSUT United, the race to Nov. 8, Election Day, will have begun. Hopefully you already have plans in place for voting.

There’s a lot at stake in this election, and NYSUT needs every member vote to elect pro-public education, pro-labor candidates in Washington, D.C. and Albany. Funding for public schools, colleges and hospitals; ensuring safe schools for all; repealing receivership and fighting for tier equity are all on the ballot.

Check your mailbox and visit nysut.org/Vote for the 2022 NYSUT Voter Guide. It features a list of union-endorsed candidates at the state and federal levels, to help members identify pro-public education choices. (See page 4 for the full list.)

Thanks to mail-in and early voting, making your political voice heard has never been easier. Early voting runs Oct. 29 through Nov. 6. You can apply in-person for an absentee ballot at your county board of elections until Nov. 7. If you choose to vote by mail, make sure your ballot is postmarked no later than Nov. 8.

“All absentee ballots must be received by your county board of elections office by Nov. 15, so if you can, get your absentee ballot in the mail early,” advised Andy Pallotta, NYSUT president. “Your vote is important — don’t let mail delays silence your voice!”

You can vote by placing your ballot in a drop box at an early polling site, or by delivering it to your county board of elections office, or any polling site in your county, now through Nov. 8, Election Day.

“I can’t stress this enough: If you don’t already have a plan to get to the polls on Nov. 8, make one,” said Pallotta, who encouraged members to check the NYSUT Member Action Center — mac.nysut.org — for updates as Election Day nears.

If you’re unsure where to vote, visit voterlookup.elections.ny.gov to locate your polling place.