And Now, Election Day

Daniel Diaz |

Welcome to a terrifying edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter, for the week of 10/30. It’s that time of year, with nervous discussions and whispers about what terrors will be revealed as the sun dims and the night unfolds, and suspense builds with either raucous excitement or utter dread, before ultimately concluding with someone screaming. Unrelated- it’s also Halloween!

But also- it’s finally Election Week! While early voting continues statewide until October 31st, only 4 days remain between now and Election Day. If you haven’t turned out your ballot, this special edition will be all about making sure you’re prepped to go, but regardless of whether you have or not, we’ve got some critical and final opportunities to make sure that Labor 2026 has the turnout we need to turn the tide in the Sunshine State! Let’s get into it!

🇺🇸 All that’s left to do is to vote!

Early voting has been taking place all week long across Florida, and as of the time of writing this afternoon, over 1/3 of all of Florida’s eligible voters have cast their ballots early! With 33% of the electorate turning out as of this Friday (early voting continues through the end of day tomorrow), the Sunshine state is looking eager. For comparison, in 2024, 48% of voters turned out early, a boost aided by a Presidential race being on the ticket. For a non-presidential election however, these are strong numbers to begin with, bolstered further when you consider that during the last mid-terms, only 29% of the state early voted.

That said, a whole 2/3 of Florida’s voters have yet to decide and cast their vote, and there are only 4 days left to help them! All that’s left is the finish line, so let’s help them cross it!

🗳️A Refresher on the Labor 2026 Ballot

We always want to stress that your vote is your ultimately entirely your own (as it very well should be!) and it’s the candidates and campaign’s job to convince you that they are the best fit for you. If you’re a regular reader of the Labor Letter, chances are you are particularly well informed on the issues important to you and Florida labor, but that doesn’t mean your neighbors are! As your family members and wider communities get ready to turnout, we want to make sure they are informed too, and so here’s a refresher of some of the top goals and issues we’ve been fighting for this November:

Ending the Supermajority

The driving force behind the momentum of the Legislature’s most brutal and un-checked anti-worker efforts in recent years, the Florida Legislature has been allowed to operate under a one-party supermajority in both chambers since 2022, which along with the almost 30 years of unbroken single-party control across it’s three branches, has allowed for an unchecked green-light of legislation on everything from culture war issues, attacks on public education, weakened labor laws, restrictions on free speech and just about everything besides the issues most important to us.

This issue is not about what party you belong to, this is about reigning in the extreme politics that have thrown away caring about anything else at the expense of the very real and serious issues that impact all our day to day lives.

The supermajority has allowed for procedure to be over-ridden, restricting debate, discussion, and amendments, and allowing for the fast-tracking of broadly unpopular efforts that long stood out of reach. Now, the consequences of those decisions are rearing their heads as the cost of living escalates, our right to organize comes under attack, and healthcare access is on the line. This year finally gives Florida’s working families a window to end the 2/3 supermajority in both chambers and restore procedure and patience to the Florida Legislature and force the conversation back onto the issues that really matter.

But we can’t change the legislature without electing labor-friendly legislators, and we’ve got a ton of them on both sides ready to make it happen:

Your Working Families Labor Endorsed Candidates

As a project of Solidarity, we always want to keep our members informed, which is why your Florida Labor Family spent a great deal of time together earlier this year at our COPE Convention in order to vet, interview, and vote on the endorsement of candidates from across the political spectrum that we as a federation share our enthusiasm for as some of the best candidates who will fight for Florida’s working families.

Before we highlight some below, make sure to visit our Labor 2026 Endorsement page for the full list of candidates that we as a labor family believe are some of the best to help us carve out (and protect) a brighter future for Florida labor.

For statewide office, the labor endorsed Florida Cabinet includes David Jolly for Governor, Jose Javier Rodriguez (JJR) for Attorney General, and Annette Taddeo for CFO.

The Florida Cabinet seats aren’t the only statewide seats up for upset this year, and our endorsements extend to Congress as well, such as Angie Nixon for U.S Senate, who is taking on the former Lt. Governor (who oversaw the use of $10 million of our taxpayer funds for political purposes) turned appointed Senator Ashley Moody.

In the U.S House, there are a host of existing friends of Labor up for re-election, like Representatives Darren Soto (FL-9) and Kathy Castor (FL-14), and labor backed hopefuls on track for an upset like Leela Gray (FL-13) and Pia Dandiya (FL-22) who are looking to put an end to D.C’s distracting culture wars and put solutions back on track.

Critically as we mentioned though, there are a host of important seats in the Florida Senate and Florida House that could make or break the legislative supermajority, and put real, tangible checks and balances back in place for Florida’s everyday families. These include (but are not limited to):

  • HD 37 – Lindsay Polega Quigley, who is fighting to preserve a seat formerly held by friend of Labor Rep. Lindsay Cross!
  • SD 14 – Brian Nathan, a member of our own FL AFL-CIO labor family, who sent national shockwaves with Emily Gregory (HD 47) when they both flipped formerly solid red districts, including the one representing our sitting President!
  • HD 100 – Todd Delmay and HD 101 – Michael Ferguson, who both carry real experience fighting for the working class, and are looking to put Broward County’s working families back in control.

The full list of labor-endorsed candidates runs across the entire state, and no matter where you are, we will need you and your communities’ help to make sure that the wave of change hits Florida’s shores!

Beware The Amendments

This year, our FL AFL-CIO adopted a resolution for all three of Florida’s proposed Constitutional Amendments, encouraging a:

  • NO on Amendment 1 – Budget Stabilization
  • NO on Amendment 2 – Agricultural-related tangible personal property
  • NO on Amendment 3 – Homestead Tax Exemptions, Property Assessments, and Spending Restrictions*

Let’s keep it real: No one is opposed to the idea of lower property taxes or relief on their wallets, but let’s be clear: Amendment 3 is utterly and objectively not what it’s being sold as.

Whether it was the Governor’s rushed and unruly passage of the Amendment in a late, 4 day long Special Session, the court that found its original title and pitch as extremely misleading and forcing it to be re-written, the massive bipartisan opposition from governor-allied figures like Sheriff Grady Judd and local county officials, or the late stage wisdom of supporters-turned-opposition figures like current and former Senate Presidents Ben Albritton and Kathleen Passidomo – the consensus is widely observed:

“…it is a well-intentioned bill, but you know, the road to hell is paved with them.” – Senate President Kathleen Passidomo

We have detailed at length the risk that this amendment poses not just to the funding of local essential services, but their very ability to exist, as well as the jobs that enable them—and that’s all before the massive cost of life increase that would follow. We highly encourage you to spread the word and visit our partner coalition website Save our Services to learn more and spread the word: NO on 3!

🗓️On the Horizon: The Election and Final Efforts to GOTV

The time to vote is HERE! Last week’s mini Labor Letter covered in depth all that you need to know before you go vote, which we recommend a quick pass through again before you head to your nearest polling place before Early Voting ends October 31st or even on Election Day itself on November 3rd

If you prefer the tradition of voting on election day, have early voted already in your county, or have sent your ballot in by mail, a) thank you and b) we still need your help in this final push this weekend. There is still critical work to be done in mobilizing our members over the next week! With one full day of early voting left, and 2/3 the electorate still yet to turn out on Tuesday, we have several opportunities to help us GOTV in this final sprint before the election!

  • Statewide
    • Important GENERAL Election Dates!
      • We’re here now! Wherever you are on the aisle, you should know these important election dates from the Florida Division of Elections:
        • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to UOCAVA voters: September 19, 2026
        • Deadline to send vote-by-mail ballots to domestic voters:  September 24 2026 – October 1, 2026
        • Deadline to register to vote:  October 5, 2026
        • Deadline to request that ballot be mailed: October 22, 2026
        • Statewide Early voting (mandatory period):  October 24 – 31, 2026
        • Election Day:  November 3, 2026 <— YOU ARE HERE (Finally!)
  • Digital

🔐Voter Protection Resources

We can’t take anything for granted on Election Day—especially when we know that the administration is already taking steps to prevent results and keep power. If you have problems voting, make sure to call 866-OUR VOTE (866-687-8683) or visit 866ourvote.org to speak with trained Election Protection Volunteers who can help you ensure that there is nothing standing between you and your ballot but you hand and pen.

Visit makeaplantovote.com/early to get started on your voting plan and if you’ve got time, find a volunteer event to help us turn out union voters to the polls.

When we vote, we win

That concludes this week’s roundup! Thank you for reading and as always, In Solidarity!

Got any tips, actions, or messages you’d like to see in this email?

Please email Daniel Diaz at ddiaz@flaflcio.org

Menu