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UFF Biweekly Patriotic EXTRA
United Faculty of Florida -- USF Chapter
Independence Day, 2022
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Are You a Lion or a Lamb?

During the past two years, politicians have done all sorts of things, and come November, a lot of these politicians are up for contract renewal. Or not. It really is up to us.

Of course you have to show up - democracy is all about showing up, and there's the rub. In 1876, Thomas Nast drew a cartoon of the Lion, "growling about his rights"...

Nast - The Lion
...but who turned into the Lamb on Election Day, and didn't vote...
Nast - The Lamb
The reality is that politicians get and keep their jobs by being voted into office. So politicians pay attention to the people who vote - and ignore the people who don't. It doesn't matter why they didn't vote; they didn't vote, so they don't matter.

If you want your voice to matter, you have to vote. If you want politicians to pay attention to you, you have to vote. You can vote if you are a U.S. citizen, a legal resident of Florida, at least 18 years old, not adjudicated incapacitated - and if you were convicted of a felony, you regained your civil rights.

Here's how.

  • Registration. You register with your local supervisor of elections, but you can also register via the Florida Department of State. You will need your Florida Driver's Licence or Florida ID card, which you can get from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. (Notice that if you moved to Florida and do not yet have a license or ID card, or you need a new one - and you need a new one if you moved or legally changed your name because of marriage or something like that - you will need documentation to get one. See the Motor Vehicles site for details.)
  • Check your registration. If you already registered, you can check your registration. It may be a good idea to do this because some agencies are ... cleaning up ... their records, and you don't want to be surprised on Election Day.
  • Voting by Mail. You do not need an excuse to vote by mail, but if you have not recently requested a mail ballot, you will have to ask for one from your county Supervisor of Elections: here is the list of all county supervisors in Florida.
  • The primary election is on August 23. The parties choose candidates on the primary, and the primary election is a good time to influence that decision. In addition, all sorts of non-partisan local officials - the people who affect your daily lives from roads to schools - are on the ballot. Not to mention occasional local referenda on stuff like taxes. So you should take them seriously. The deadline to register to vote in the primary is July 25 and county election supervisors will send out mail ballots during July 14 - 21, so if you want to vote by mail, request a mail ballot now, and be sure to get the ballot returned on time. The Florida Department of State has posted the election dates.
  • The general election is on November 8. This is when the candidates selected in the primaries run. This fall, all Floridians will elect a governor, a senator, Congresscreatures, state legislators, and umpteen local officials. There may also be referenda on stuff like taxes on some ballots. The deadline to register to vote in the general election is October 11 and county election supervisors will send out mail ballots during September 29 – October 6. The Florida Department of State has posted the election dates.
As for who to vote for, the union will be posting its recommendations on free platforms like Facebook and Twitter (union dues cannot be used to publicize endorsements). Feel free to check us out. But most importantly, VOTE! It's the only way to get their attention.

Next Chapter Meeting at USF St. Petersburg in

The USF Chapter of the United Faculty of Florida will meet Friday, July 8, at 12 noon, at the USF St. Petersburg Student Center Palm Room (on the second floor). (Come early, because we will have lunch at 11:30 am; we would like some idea of how many people are coming, so if you are coming, please send us an RSVP.) On the agenda: recent legislation restricting academic freedom and what we are doing about it. The meeting will also be on Zoom.

Meetings and events are posted on the Events Calendar of the UFF USF Website. Come and check us out.

Join UFF Today!

Benefits of membership include the right to run and vote in UFF chapter and statewide elections; representation in grievances (UFF cannot represent a non-member in a grievance or litigation); special deals in insurance, travel, legal advice, and other packages provided by our affiliates; free insurance coverage for job-related liability; and the knowledge you are supporting education in Florida. Here is the membership form. Come and join the movement.

USF United Support Fund for Food Pantries

Many of our students are struggling during this crisis, and the USF Foundation is supporting the USF Food Pantries to help out. They are accepting non-perishable donations, but one can also make monetary donations for the pantries at St. Petersburg, Sarasota / Manatee, and Tampa.


LOGISTICS

The nest Chapter Meeting will be on Friday, July 8, at the USF St. Petersburg Student Center, in the Palm Room, and on Zoom.

Membership: Everyone in the UFF USF System Bargaining unit is eligible for UFF membership: to join, simply fill out and send in the membership form.

NOTE: The USF-UFF Chapter website is http://www.uff.ourusf.org, and our e-mail address is uff@ourusf.org.

About this broadcast: This Newsletter was broadcast from uff.ourusf.org, hosted at ICDsoft.com, and is intended for all UFF USF members.

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