NASW-FL 2020 Elections Bulletin

Bulletin Contents: TopOfPage
Election 2020


VolunteerVolunteer for a Campaign

Volunteer for an election campaign
Volunteers are vital for all campaigns during the next six days.  This is an opportunity to help undecided voters make their final decisions.

Jordan Reed, NASW-FL Pace Organizer, put together an inclusive list of PACE-endorsed candidates with links to get involved.

Check out how to volunteer and help people use their voice by voting.


ImportantImportant Election Information

General Election is next Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Poll Hours7:00 am - 7:00 pm in Florida 
Elections Information

Early Voting- Ends November 1 in Florida





Why
Why I Vote - Listen to Social Workers share why they vote.

EarlyEarly Voting Is Now!

Florida Early Voting has started. You can find Early Voting dates, times, and locations on your county's Supervisor of Elections website: 
Not sure of your county? Check what county your city or town is in here:
If Early Voting is part of your voting plan and you haven't voted yet -- don't delay! Early Voting ends Nov. 1

Note: During the past week, there were issues related to the secure drop boxes for Vote-by-Mail ballots under legal discussion between the Florida Department of State and Florida Supervisors of Elections, creating lack of clarity. Given this situation, the Statewide Communications Manager for the League of Women Voters of Florida, Blake Summerlin, has provided the recommendation that voters use drop boxes within the same hours as Early Voting.

If you have a Vote-by-Mail (VBM) ballot that you haven't sent in yet, and would like to vote in person instead, you can still do so. Bring your VBM ballot (blank or filled out) with you to your polling place, where poll workers will cancel it so that you can vote by regular ballot.

Your vote is your voice-use your voice in 2020.

TrackTrack Your Ballot

Here's how to find out the status of your 2020 ballot in all 50 states and D.C.
via @HuffPost  https://bit.ly/35ujUuE  graphic via @NASW @DFADCoalition #VotingISSocialWork


problemsReport Voting Problems on Election Day

If you have problems voting, you can report voting problems to Electionland.

In Florida, you can report election fraud with the Division of Elections .

Report problems at the polls, please call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

And know your voting rights.


ElectionElection Challenge

Election Challenge - Get 10 People to Vote and win a _25 gift card

AdvocacyVoting and Legislative Advocacy Podcast with Dawn Brown, MSW

In this episode of Doin' The Work podcast, Shimon Cohen, LCSW, talks with Dawn Brown, who is a social work educator and the Legislative Chair of the National Association of Social Workers Florida Chapter. Dawn talks about activities and strategies social workers can use to engage in legislative advocacy and how NASW-FL has a big event called LEAD (Legislative Education Advocacy Day) where they bring social work students to the Florida Capitol once a year to meet with lawmakers and attend committee hearings. 

They talk about the importance of voting, especially this November, and what is on the line. Brown shares what voting means to her as a Black woman, and stresses that voting is important at all levels of government - national, state, and local. 

She explains that voting is just the beginning, and that we need to hold elected officials accountable, build relationships with them to push for a social justice agenda, and support candidates for office who are aligned with the goals of racial, social and economic justice. She also talks about how she got into this work. 

Cohen hopes this conversation inspires you to action.

Click here to hear the full podcast.
AliveEthics Alive! Elections in Light of Social Work Values
by Allan Barsky, PhD, JD, MSW

Tuesday, November 3, 2020, is Election Day, the culmination of many months of campaigning for local, state, and national positions. Many Americans will vote well before election day, via mail and early in-person voting. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the elections is uncertain. Not only will this pandemic influence who we elect for various positions, but it will also affect how we vote and the manner in which we vote. Given the current challenges facing the United States and countries across the globe, these elections will be very consequential.

As Abramovitz et al. (2019) noted in their research on social work voter mobilization, "The social work profession has always known that voting supports a robust democracy, a just society, and an equitable welfare state" (p. 624). In this article, I will explore how the six core values of social work (as stated in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 2018) can be used to inform our participation as social workers in the current election processes.

Click here to read the full article.

Reprinted with permission. This article was originally published in The New Social Worker.