Your VOTE is your VOICE
Be heard in this year’s critical election
SECTIONS:
WHY VOTE
Exercise your right to vote
"So long as I do not firmly and irrevocably possess the right to vote I do not possess myself. I cannot make up my mind - it is made up for me. I cannot live as a democratic citizen, observing the laws I have helped to enact - I can only submit to the edict of others."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
by Shannon Carr
These words shared by Martin Luther King Jr. echo just as true today as when he spoke them during his speech “Give Us the Ballot, We Will Transform the South” before the Lincoln Memorial on May 17, 1957 at the March on Washington. Democracy has and continues to play an instrumental role in the history of the United States.
Your vote is truly your voice! There is no greater way to be heard than to cast your ballot in this year’s critical election on November 3. As a voter, you decide who leads our communities at all levels; from your local school boards to the U.S. Senate and Congress all the way up to President of the United States. That is why it is important to support pro-labor candidates who will keep the work that you do every day at the forefront of their minds when they make important decisions or even when your jobs have the potential to end up on the chopping block.
Under the purview of California Governor Gavin Newsom, for example, this summer, a state budget passed that gave school districts the same amount of funding as last year. It also stated that classified staff should remain employed because state leaders know schools can’t operate safely and effectively without our members.
In order to ensure that everyone stays safe and socially distanced during the COVID-19 pandemic, all registered California voters will receive a Vote by Mail ballot for this year’s election by the October 5 deadline and, in some instances, sooner, depending on the county.
MEMBERS' VOICES
Question: What would you say to your union brothers and sisters about the importance of voting?
David Kong
Operations Specialist 1, Monterey COE Chapter 35
A: Elected officials, especially school board members, make decisions that involve the hiring and firing of classified employees, employee benefits, retirement and working conditions. Electing classified friendly officials helps preserve classified jobs.
Daisy Bennett
Aide 1, Placentia Yorba Linda Chapter 293, and
Paraprofessional, Brea Olinda Chapter 207
A: Voting is a chance to have a say to elect the people who represent you. There are over 240,000 CSEA union brothers and sisters in California. United, there is power at the voting booth because it can change who holds seats representing all of the United States or who will be the next school board member making tough decisions who understands the value of protecting all Classified employees.
HOW TO VOTE:
There are many ways to deliver your mail-in ballot
Registered voters will also be able to track when their ballot is mailed, received and counted, according to the California Secretary of State’s office.
For more information about where and how to vote this year, go to:
This November 3, join us and make sure you are heard!
WHO TO VOTE FOR:
PRO-LABOR CANDIDATES
CSEA endorsements for the November 3 election
CSEA endorsed candidates are selected by CSEA’s Political Action for Classified Employees (PACE) Committee for recommendation to the CSEA Board of Directors, with CSEA Board Members making the official endorsement. The PACE Committee recommendations are based on candidates’ voting records, answers to CSEA’s questionnaires and candidate interviews or some combination. Candidates are rated for such recommendation based on issues of importance to CSEA, including school and community college funding, retirement benefit protections, healthcare reform, workers’ rights and other issues impacting CSEA members in their workplace.
PRO-LABOR CANDIDATES
CSEA endorsements for the November 3 election
CSEA endorsed candidates are selected by CSEA’s Political Action for Classified Employees (PACE) Committee for recommendation to the CSEA Board of Directors, with CSEA Board Members making the official endorsement. The PACE recommendations are based on candidates’ voting records, answers to CSEA’s questionnaires and candidate interviews or some combination. Candidates are rated for such recommendation based on issues of importance to CSEA, including school and community college funding, retirement benefit protections, healthcare reform, workers’ rights and other issues impacting CSEA members in their workplace.
Joe Biden, President
Biden became one of the youngest people ever elected to the United States Senate at the age of 29. In his years of experience since that time in 1972, he has taken on the National Rifle Association and won—twice, written and spearheaded the Violence Against Women Act, played a pivotal role in shaping U.S. foreign policy and served as the 47th Vice President alongside President Barack Obama.
Kamala Harris, Vice President
Harris is the first ever African-American woman to be nominated as Vice President of the United States. A California Senator, her work has been focused on fighting injustice, becoming the District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco in 2003, in addition to serving on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget.
Vote YES on Proposition 15
Schools and Communities First
CSEA supports Proposition 15 because it will provide the reliable and fair funding source our students deserve, without raising taxes for hard-working Californians like our members. Prop 15 will increase funding for K-14 and local government services by $12 billion per year. It won't raise taxes for our members or for small businesses; it only raises taxes for large corporations that aren't paying their fair share by requiring commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on current market value.
Vote YES on Proposition 15
Schools and Communities First
CSEA supports Proposition 15 because it will provide the reliable and fair funding source our students deserve, without raising taxes for hard-working Californians like our members. Prop 15 will increase funding for K-14 and local government services by $12 billion per year. It won't raise taxes for our members or for small businesses; it only raises taxes for large corporations that aren't paying their fair share by requiring commercial and industrial properties to be taxed based on current market value.
Vote YES on Proposition 16
Repeal Proposition 209 Affirmative Action Amendment
By ending California’s ban on affirmative action, voting YES on Proposition 16 levels the playing field so we can all succeed. California is one of only nine states that bans affirmative action as a tool to fight discrimination. Proposition 16 is our chance to change that by ending the ban and expanding opportunity for all.
Vote NO on Proposition 22
App-Based Drivers as Contractors and Labor Policies Initiative
More than 1 million Californians work as independent contractors for app-based rideshare, food and grocery delivery platforms. Uber, Lyft, Instacart and Doordash wrote Proposition 22 in an attempt to create a special exemption for themselves from California law that requires their companies to provide basic protections to their workers. They are spending more than $100 million on the proposition to boost their profits by denying their drivers’ right to a minimum wage, paid sick leave and safety protections.
Congressional Districts 1 to 28
CSEA ENDORSED CALIFORNIA SENATE CANDIDATES
CSEA ENDORSED CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES
Assembly Districts 1 to 26
