UNITE HERE Florida, States Largest Canvassing Organization, Gains Momentum in Final Stretch of 2020 Elections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—Monday, October 26, 2020

Contact: MJ Leira, [email protected], (917) 565-7697

 

FLORIDA—In the past weeks, UNITE HERE Florida has grown in efforts to mobilize voters in South and Central Florida with over 1,000 laid off hospitality workers now committed to get out the vote for Joe Biden.

 

In 2016, Donald Trump won Florida by a margin of just 1%, while half a million Democrats in South and Central Florida did not vote. Now, hospitality workers are Taking Back their power to ensure this does not happen again. UNITE HERE Florida has committed millions of dollars in resources and hundreds of thousands of staff and volunteer hours to move voters in counties where union members live and work. Members of UNITE HERE Florida continue knocking on doors and making phone calls in order to make up that critical 1% difference and inspire many more Floridians to go to the polls to elect Joe Biden.

 

“Our union is committed to win in Florida and to restore the livelihoods of the countless families that have been devastated during this pandemic due to Donald Trump’s failed leadership,” said Wendi Walsh, UNITE HERE Florida Political Director.

 

Canvassers are, by majority, Black and Latinx women, who live and work in target communities. They are among 1,000 laid off hospitality workers from places such as Walt Disney World, the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, and The Diplomat Beach Resort who are committing their time to defeat Trump.

 

UNITE HERE Florida has created and follows a comprehensive “contactless door-to-door canvassing” model, including mandatory use of PPE and adherence to social distancing guidelines. By strictly following this model, it is possible to safely conduct door-to-door canvassing, which facilitates the direct conversations proven to be more effective at turning out low propensity voters and in helping all voters understand how to cast their ballots. Workers are available for interviews on the ground while canvassing.

 

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UNITE HERE Florida is a labor union that represents over 34,000 workers in the hotel, casino, food service, and airport industries in Central and South Florida. At the peak of the pandemic, over 98% of UNITE HERE members were unemployed, and 75% are still out of work today. UNITE HERE’s Take Back 2020 campaign is the largest canvassing operation in the state of Florida, with more than 300 full-time canvassers and hundreds more volunteers.