Elections always matter, but this is the most consequential election of our lifetime, says AFT President Randi Weingarten, which is why the AFT—in the midst of a pandemic—is launching a multistate bus tour beginning Sept. 30. The AFT Votes bus will kick off the tour in Los Angeles and continue across the country until nearly Election Day, with stops from west to east and north to south.
The bus tour is expected to stop in at least 15 states with more than 30 election events in support of Biden and Harris. All events will be held using strict COVID-19 protocols. “We will be wearing masks and social distancing, and of course getting tested, to ensure everyone is safe,” Weingarten emphasizes.
“The AFT will stop at nothing to end this nightmare, fight for people’s dignity and fulfill this country’s founding promise,” says Weingarten. “And the solution to all of this is activism and voting—by mail or in person, early or on Election Day. Everything we do—this bus tour, the fight for a COVID-19 stimulus, confronting these crises, the Supreme Court fight, our GOTV work—is about preserving our democracy and making people’s lives better.”
Full Bus Tour Playlist
In the News
Oct 16
Weingarten: ‘It’s our moment, but we have to get out and vote’
With Election Day less than three weeks away, the AFT Votes bus tour(link is external) rolled into the upper Midwest, with stops in Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana over the last several days. Along the way, AFT President Randi Weingarten and Secretary-Treasurer Fedrick C. Ingram urged educators, parents and community allies to vote—early, if possible—and discussed the obstacles teachers and students face because of a lack of the resources needed to support learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oct 8
AFT Votes bus tour is ridin’ with Biden
We may have to stand 6 feet apart, but we’re standing together. Crossing half the country from west to east since the end of September, the AFT Votes tour bus is making critical stops to engage voters, distribute free books and rally with our members and other unions — all done with pandemic safety precautions in place to keep everyone safe.
Oct 3
Colorado News 2: Pandemic Education Roundtable
“People want to be together, but they need to do it safely, and we need to do it in a way that we’re making the country better.” The event is part of a 14-state tour where organizers hope to hear from parents and teachers about their experiences.
Oct 1
The Hill: Teachers union launches nationwide get-out-the-vote bus tour
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the nation's second-largest teachers' union, announced Wednesday the launch of a nationwide get-out-the-vote (GOTV) tour targeting more than a dozen states in support of former Vice President Joe Biden (D).
Live on 1010 WINS
President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten
3News Las Vegas: Culinary kicks election door-knocking into high gear
The Culinary got some backup today from the American Federation of Teachers, a union with 1.7 million members. Not only was its big union bus sitting in the parking lot, but the AFT's president was also here, too.
Sept 30
Politico Morning Education: On A Roll for Votes
AFT is kicking off a month-long, 15-state bus tour today in Los Angeles to get out the vote for Biden. The union will focus on the need for investments in public schools and the importance of the 2020 election, which Weingarten says is “the most consequential choice of our lifetimes.”
Sept 30
AFT launches multistate get-out-the-vote bus tour
Elections always matter, but this is the most consequential election of our lifetime, says AFT President Randi Weingarten, which is why the AFT—in the midst of a pandemic—is launching a multistate bus tour beginning Sept. 30. The AFT Votes bus will kick off the tour in Los Angeles and continue across the country until nearly Election Day, with stops from west to east and north to south.
Itinerary
subject to changeSept. 30 – Los Angeles, Calif.
Oct. 1 – Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 2-3 – Denver, Colo.
Oct. 6 – Kansas City, Kan.
Oct. 9-10 – Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
Oct. 14 – Chicago, Ill.
Oct. 14 – Gary, Ind.
Oct. 15 – Kalamazoo, Mich.
Oct. 16-17 – Detroit/Dearborn, Mich.
Oct. 20 – Cleveland, Ohio
Oct. 21 – Columbus/Cincinnati, Ohio
Oct. 22 – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Oct. 23 – Scranton, Pa.
Oct. 24 – Philadelphia, Pa.
Oct. 24 – New Jersey
Oct. 27 – Raleigh, N.C.
Oct. 28 – Atlanta, GA
Oct. 29 – Gainesville, Fla.
Oct. 30 – Tampa/Kissimmee/Sanford, Fla.
Oct. 31 – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Nov. 1 – Miami, Fla.