Are you registered to vote? Are you sure?

at-the-boothThe election is fast approaching.  Voting is critical to our efforts to hold elected officials accountable. When union members and their families turn out to vote, legislators pay more attention to the issues we take on in Rapid Response throughout the year. In order to be ready to vote on Tuesday, November 4, we need to ensure that all of our members are registered.

Here are some reasons for needing to register or re-register:

  • Never having voted before
  • Removed from the rolls because of not voting in a while   
  • Moved
  • Changed names
  • To receive an updated voter id card
  • To change party affiliation
  • Completed punishment for a felony

There are easy ways to check to ensure that you are registered to vote. Our union has compiled the information at www.usw.org/act/vote, and you can check your status, find registration deadlines, learn how to host a voter registration drive in your state and more with one easy click of a button. Plus, you can get registered if there’s any question!

Need some more reasons to register? Check out these top ten reasons to register and cast your ballot. Thanks to the Douglas County Election Center in Nevada for the great list, and check out their page for more great top ten lists that you can share with your members!

Top 10 Reasons to Register and Vote

10.  It's your money. The county commissioners, governor, state officials, legislators, president and members of Congress you vote for will decide how much of our wealth to invest in public services.

9.  It's your children's education. You elect local and state school board members who set public education policy and budgets that will affect how well prepared your children and grandchildren will be for the future. Decisions by our legislators, governor, members of Congress and president also affect the public schools-- and the quality and cost of higher education as well.

8.  It's your job. Congress, the president, governors and your legislators influence trade laws, overtime rules, minimum wage, pay equity, fairness in hiring, health insurance through your employer, job and pension security, and workplace safety. 7.  It's your health care. Actions by governors, legislatures and Congress as well as their decisions on Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance laws determine your access to health care.

6.  They're your highways. Every state’s population and traffic are growing rapidly. Your county commissioners, legislators, governor and members of Congress decide what highways are needed, what alternatives to highways such as public transit to support, and how to pay the bill.

5.  It's your Social Security. The president and your members of Congress decide how much payroll tax you pay, cost of living increases and benefit schedules for your Social Security pension, and what Medicare services you receive and share payment for.

4.  You live in here! Your county, state and national elected officials set standards, enforcement strategies and budgets. They plan and zone where roads and industries will be built and how public lands will be used --decisions that can determine how and where you live and work.

3.  It's your neighborhood. The elected officials and judges you vote to retain make daily decisions about crime prevention, laws and law enforcement, safe and affordable homes, traffic patterns, where to put schools, parks and recreation.

2.  They're our children. We do our best to keep them healthy, fed, safe, educated and cared for. The officials you elect set policies that affect all families in pursuing their goals and dreams.

And the top reason:
1.  It's your Country. Make it work. Register and Vote.

Don’t let your voice be overtaken by the voice of big money. Brothers and Sisters, at the end of the day, no amount of money can buy a vote. That vote is yours and yours only to cast. Educate yourself on the issues that impact your families and the position the candidates hold on those issues, be sure that you are registered, and cast that vote! We don’t need a repeat of 2010; we need to take back our statehouses and our country from those who seek to continue to lower the standards for middle-class families.

Press Inquiries

Media Contacts

Communications Director:
Jess Kamm at 412-562-2446

USW@WORK (USW magazine)
Editor R.J. Hufnagel

For industry specific inquiries,
Call USW Communications at 412-562-2442

Mailing Address

United Steelworkers
Communications Department
60 Blvd. of the Allies
Pittsburgh, PA 15222