Are You Registered to Vote?
By Debbie Golombek, UAL MEC Government Affairs Committee
See also: Voter Information: U.S. General Election
Register to Vote Now!
The November 2, 2004, U.S. General Election will present us with critically important choices. We will be electing all 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, one third of the U.S. Senate and a President and Vice President.
As U.S. citizens and as union members, we have an obligation to get involved. We cannot afford to be apathetic, angry or uninformed. Our safety and security, our retirement and health care benefits, as well as the sanctity of our contract rely on whom we chose to run our government, as does the business climate in which United Airlines must operate.
The right to vote can and should be exercised by all United States citizens around the globe – but before you can cast our ballot you must be registered to vote.
Registering to vote has never been easier, thanks to the motor voter law. All states, except ND, WY and NH, accept a universal mail-in voter registration form which allows U.S. citizens to register by mail.
Voter registration deadlines vary by state, but in most states you must be registered to vote at least 31 days prior to Election Day. Registration guidelines also vary by state.
Flight Attendants who reside overseas are able to register and vote by using the Federal Post Card Application which is accepted by all states as an application for registration and absentee ballot. Flight Attendants residing outside of the United States may vote in the state where they last resided immediately prior to departing the United States, even if many years have elapsed and the flight attendant may not intend to return to this state.
The AFA Local Council Government Affairs Committees will be conducting voter registration drives throughout the system, between June and September, providing flight attendants with mail-in registration forms or for U.S. citizens residing overseas, a Federal Post Card Application.
If you have moved, changed your name or want to change your political party affiliation, you must register to vote again. Some states purge voters from their registration lists if a voter has not voted in 2-4 years or in a number of consecutive elections.
AFA has an established an easy to use link on the www.afanet.org website – just click on the register to vote icon and you can download a voter registration application for your state. This application can be filled out on-line, then, you must print the application and mail it to the appropriate address.
We cannot participate in the most fundamental privilege of our democracy, if we do not register to vote! The future direction of our nation lies in each of our hands. Your Local Council Government Affairs Committee can provide you with the information you will need to register. Do not let the opportunity to vote fly away! Registering to vote is the first step to participating in our democracy.
