UUP Oneonta’s Political Action Team is committed to providing our members with reliable, non-partisan information regarding upcoming elections.
If you are a chapter member and would like to participate in this and other efforts around civic engagement and labor advocacy, or learn how you can get more involved with the Political Action Team, please reach out to Ethan Fox, UUP Oneonta Political Outreach Coordinator at foxe.uup@pm.me (or use the member engagement form below):
General Information
Early Voting in New York runs from October 24th through November 1st.
Election Day is on November 3rd.
To verify your current voter registration information, find early voting information, your polling place(s) and their hours, and more, check out the tool from the New York State Board of Elections using the button below:
Additionally, AFT has a TurboVote tool you can use that will keep you up to speed and can send you text messages and email reminders about important dates and other election info:
SUNY Oneonta has provided a version of the above tool as well that can be shared:
Need to register or update your registration? Hit the button below:
To register online you will need to use a NY.Gov ID. If you have previously used a NY.Gov ID with another agency, you may use the same login to access the Online Voter Registration portal. If you have not used a NY.Gov ID you will need to create an account.
Time Off to Vote
Generally, New York State employees are eligible for up to two hours of paid time off to vote if they do not have “sufficient time to vote.” An employee is deemed to have “sufficient time to vote” if an employee has four consecutive hours to vote either from the opening of the polls to the beginning of their work shift, or four consecutive hours between the end of a working shift and the closing of the polls.
For example, if an employee is scheduled from 9 am to 5 pm, and the polls are opened from 6 am to 9 pm, the employee is not eligible for paid time off to vote, because the polls are open for four consecutive hours after the employee’s shift ends at 5 pm. However, if an employee is scheduled to work from 9 am to 6 pm, then the employee is eligible for paid time off to vote, because the employee only has three consecutive hours off in the beginning of their shift and end of their shift.
For more information, visit the New York State Board of Elections site below:
Know Your Rights
Every eligible citizen has the right to cast a ballot freely, fairly, and accessibly — without fear of deception or intimidation.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has some helpful guides that outline your rights as a voter. You can check them out at the links below:
Labor Canvassing & Phonebanking
UUP organizes labor canvassing walks and phonebanks through NYSUT for their endorsed elected officials! Any the UUP Oneonta chapter is participating in will be announced here.
To view the current list of canvassing and phonebanking events you can take part in sponsored by UUP Statewide, check out the site below:
The New York State AFL-CIO also hosts phonebanking for endorsed candidates every Tuesday and Thursday until the election:
NYSUT Endorsements
You can check out NYSUT’s current list of endorsed candidates on the following website:
AFTvotes Democracy Defenders
AFT, our national affiliate, has started a grassroots election integrity initiative called Democracy Defenders.
Democracy Defenders are AFT members who commit to helping voters get the information, support and protection they need to cast their ballots and have them counted.
Learn more at the link below:
No Kings Coalition
UUP Statewide and UUP Oneonta have supported the No Kings Coalition and the pro-democracy message at its core.
October 17th is the next day of planned nationwide action that will be focused on amplifying early voting!
Cooperstown-Oneonta Indivisible, with whom we have partnered with in the past, will be hosting a non-partisan early voting event in Neahwa Park from 12-1pm. You can learn more and RSVP at the link below:
Additionally, the coalition has a website with helpful resources that you can access via the button below:
If you’d like to help plan and organize a UUP Oneonta-led non-partisan early voting or similar non-partisan political outreach, please reach out to Ethan Fox, UUP Oneonta Political Outreach Coordinator: foxe.uup@pm.me