On Election Day, voters will elect candidates to local government offices. These elected leaders make important policy and budgetary decisions that directly affect CSEA members.
Your vote is your voice, and our union urges you to get out and vote.
While it may sound like a cliché, every vote counts. In recent years, we have seen races decided by narrow vote margins, so when you cast your ballot, you are making a difference.
Here are several recent examples of election races that show why it is so important to get out and vote.
Union helps member prevail
Bedetti (Photo from Facebook.)
CSEA activist and former Town of New Windsor Unit President Stephen Bedetti is currently running for Town Supervisor of New Windsor. During this June’s primary election Bedetti was challenged for the Republican nomination by former state Assemblymember Colin Schmitt. After a competitive and at times, an ugly race, Bedetti emerged victorious by a mere five-vote margin. His victory was aided by the backing of CSEA.
Small margins, big effects
Central Region Executive Vice President Chantalise DeMarco gets out the vote for State Sen. John Mannion in 2022. With our union’s help, Mannion won by 10 votes. (Photo by Nicholas Newcomb.)
Last year, our union endorsed incumbent State Sen. John Mannion for reelection. On election night, the race was too close to call.
After more than a month of court battles to review absentee ballots, a judge certified Mannion’s reelection win by a mere 10 votes. Mannion’s slim margin of victory also led to a supermajority in the State Senate. This led to many legislative victories for CSEA this year.
In the 2022 general election, Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato won reelection by 15 votes after only 32,000 votes were cast in her Queens-based district.
CSEA-endorsed Pheffer Amato was down by more than 200 votes on election night, but after several court cases, a final count declared her victory on January 4.
Pheffer Amato, who chairs the Assembly’s Governmental Employee Committee, is an ally in an extremely important position for CSEA, as many legislative bills that affect our union members go through this committee.
A costly vote
In 2020, CSEA-endorsed U.S. Rep. Anthony Brindisi lost in a rematch to U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney by 109 votes out of more than 300,000 votes cast. When polls closed on Election Day, Tenney held a 28,442-vote lead, but absentee ballots soon showed smaller margins.
It took three months and multiple court battles before Tenney was certified as the victor in February 2021. The lengthy count included numerous disparities in ballots and voter eligibility.
This race was costly to working people, as Tenney has one of the worst voting records in Congress for labor union issues.
No matter who you vote for, it is important that you cast your vote and let your voice be heard. For more information on endorsements and polling locations, visit cseany.org/vote.
Important dates:
November 5: Last day of Early Voting.
November 7: Last day to postmark an absentee ballot.
November 7: General Election. Polls open 6 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Visit cseany.org/vote to find important information about endorsed candidates and polling information in your county.
