Once again, the future of our health care is front and center on the ballot this fall …along with many other crucial social justice issues, and our very democracy itself (no joke.)
So, it’s time for all of us to link arms because we are indeed all in this together.
- Job #1: Get as many people as we can to the polls to vote.
- Job #2: Make sure every vote gets counted, and the results respected.
We’ve all seen the inspiring photos and reports of long lines for early voting all across our city and nation. That’s all good so far, but there’s still more to do, and we can’t let up.
Most importantly, we urge everyone to begin to plan NOW for what happens after Election Day. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are voting by mail this year, and so the results may not be immediately known on election night. We will all have to be patient for the counting up to conclude, which could take up to a few days. Unfortunately, President Trump and his allies say they may not accept the results should they lose, and suggest they will use the courts and state legislatures in (likely underhanded) ways to disqualify votes and challenge the overall totals. We can’t let that happen!
To counter this direct threat to our democracy, many political forces have joined together in the new Protect the Results campaign to respect the vote outcomes. We urge everyone to jump into this effort. Your organization or union can endorse it, alert others to its activities, and call on people to participate in them, either individually or in organizational contingents. You can find further information on all that here.
Regardless of the state of the vote count, the first event will take place in communities nationwide on Wed. Nov. 4th. You can sign-up here to get information and updates on what’s being planned in NYC. As things stand now, the event will begin at 4 p.m. at the main New York Public Library, located at 5th Avenue and 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan followed by a march down 5th Ave. to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. That stated, things may change, so be sure to keep checking back.
We are all keeping our fingers crossed that the supporters and champions of health care for all and health care justice will come out victors. Many of us are working hard to make that happen, and we thank you for all your efforts.