The 24th annual New Jersey State AFL-CIO Labor Candidates School launched with a virtual flair on Aug. 11, 2020.
The coronavirus is changing the way New Jersey votes, and the New Jersey State AFL-CIO is adapting. The New Jersey State AFL-CIO’s 24th annual Labor Candidates School has gone digital, teaching its class of labor candidates How to Run a Successful Election Campaign During the Pandemic.
Social distancing has eliminated many traditional campaign techniques, so union sisters and brothers who are attending the six nights of training by videoconference are learning cutting-edge skills updated for the COVID world. Election experts are teaching remotely about fundraising, doing campaign research, developing and delivering messages centered on union values, social media and digital strategy, and vote-by-mail and get-out-the-vote, among other topics shaped by the current economic and health crisis.
Labor candidates in 2020 are running for county and local elected offices, with national races at the top of their ballots. With many New Jerseyans voting by mail, and voting as early as six weeks from now, the Labor Candidates School is preparing working men and women for a race like no other. Combined, these classes by the New Jersey State AFL-CIO give labor candidates a tool kit for victory in this historic, unusual Election Season.
The 24th annual Labor Candidates School by videoconference is Aug. 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20.