Hello Pennsylvania, New Haven’s Calling

Seven New Haven teachers gathered after school to make phone calls — not to students’ parents, but to registered voters in the all-important swing state of Pennsylvania, to encourage them to each make voting plans, and to boost Democratic candidates for president, vice president, and senate.

That was the scene at the New Haven Federation of Teachers (NHFT) union headquarters on Chapel Street Monday evening. 

A handful of New Haven’s Local 933 union members gathered after a day’s work of teaching in city school buildings to then teach Pennsylvania voters over the phone how and when to get mail-in ballots counted for the election. 

The task, NHFT President Leslie Blatteau told her fellow educators, was to call Pennsylvania voters also affiliated with AFT who requested mail-in ballots. ​“We’re not here to talk them into anything if they’re undecided or opposed,” Blatteau said. ​“This is to encourage them to return their ballots as soon as possible and see where they are for their presidential and senate vote.”

Pennsylvania is one of seven key swing states in this year’s presidential contest between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump. The two campaigns have recognized that, whoever wins Pennsylvania could win the whole race (thanks a lot, electoral college.)

NHFT received online tools from its affiliate, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), to host Monday’s phone bank.

While Pennsylvania does not offer early in-person voting, it has a mail-in-ballot voting period. 

Over the course of dozens of calls, the New Haven educators informed Pennsylvania voters directly or over email to vote for ​“pro-worker, pro-working-family candidates like Vice President Kamala Harris, former AFT member Tim Walz, and Senator Bob Casey,” all Democrats.

Using a script provided by AFT for each call, the teachers reminded Keystone State voters ranging from 18 to 85 years old that their mail-in ballots must be received by their local election offices by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5, which is election day. They also asked if voters had received their mailed ballots and informed voters that they have until Oct. 29 to request a mail-in ballot. 

As the educators left many voicemails and occasionally talked directly with voters, they used AFT’s online system to record voters’ responses about their voting plans and which candidate they were leaning toward. 

Wilbur Cross special education resource teacher Susan DeAlejos chatted with one voter who told her they initially were planning to vote for Harris, Walz, and Casey, but after chatting with a cousin who ​“told her good things about Trump,” she’s now undecided. 

For two hours the educators pushed through quite a few abrupt hang-ups and continued to leave voicemails for the voters. Meanwhile, a dozen children from the neighboring Cold Spring School played in a courtyard, which educators said reminded them of why they were doing the work. 

Blatteau and DeAlejos were joined on Monday by High School in the Community special education resource teacher Elizabeth Baldetti, Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration (FAME) Read 180 teacher Judy Leach, Wexler Grant special education teacher Tanasia Edwards, and Roberto Clemente fourth-grade teacher Rita Greenidge. 

One senior voter told Baldetti that she had already received and mailed in her ballot to cast her vote for Harris, Walz, and Casey.

Leach said Monday that ​“it’s so important that we not have another Trumpian era. It’s not good for the kids, they have suffered enough. We got to leave something good for them.” 

Edwards said that in addition to Monday’s phone banking, she has been door knocking in her neighborhood to offer rides to voters’ polling places and help New Haveners register to vote. ​“Everyone needs that reminder that their voice does matter right now,” she said. 

Greenidge recalled growing up in New York in the 1970s and discovering her passion for Democratic voter organizing in Manhattan in the 1980s. She’s continued to organize over the years for Democratic presidential candidates like Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Now’s she’s again ramping up her efforts for this year’s election. 

“This election is very personal,” she said. 

In between eating pizza and leaving voicemails, Greenidge said it ought to be in every local teacher’s nature to encourage people to get out and vote, out of their deep care for the future of education. 

NHFT plans to host a second phone banking session on Oct. 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. to continue doing its part on the national front, Blatteau concluded.