Welcome to another edition of the Florida AFL-CIO’s weekly Florida Labor Letter for the week of 10/23! At the time of writing, there are only 11 days between us and Election Day, and early voting goes statewide for a week starting tomorrow. Appropriately, the enthusiasm is high, and Florida has been thrust into national focus, which means that as the races get tighter, we will need to get involved as much as possible to ensure that the path to our labor-endorsed future crosses the finish line. Let’s get into it!

🗳️Electoral News

Electoral Eyes Look Towards Shoring up Their Florida Project

As evidenced by its appearance on the front page of the New York Times this morning, Florida has increasingly become a center of national electoral attention as the November mid-terms hurdle towards their final destination.

Unique among a slew of otherwise predictably close national races in states such as Alaska, Texas, and Michigan, the battle for congressional control has suddenly returned to the once regarded Swing State of Florida. It’s an October surprise emerging amidst a combination of factors, including the backlash of last ditch attempts to seal the deal in tossup states like Ohio (See: Vivek Ramaswamy’s despicably personal attack ad on his opponent) as well as incredibly close polling and forecasted upsets across Florida’s races.

The result has been the amplification of a message that Florida’s Working Families have been saying all along: Florida is in play! But being in play does not guarantee a victory, which is why the state has fielded visitors on both sides to shore up support, including Former President Bill Clinton, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Vice President J.D. Vance, and President Donald Trump. The lesson is clear though for the folks on the ground, this is not the time to ease up on the gas, it’s the time to empty the tank.

More Amendment 3 Opposition Emerges…from the People that Passed It?

As the calendar shrinks for the candidates, so too does it for the issues, including the tax shift scam that is Amendment 3. This week, as bipartisan opposition continues to mount and supporters continue to ad buy to try to mislead the voters on the initiative’s so called “savings”, a new point of view has entered the conversation, that of the legislators who allowed the flawed product to pass!

This Tuesday, Florida Senate President Ben Albritton, who once proudly presided over the passage of Amendment 3 through the Florida Senate, came out and announced his sudden opposition to the idea, joining former lawmakers who had helped vote up the bill such as Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, who earlier this month remarked that the initiative was a “well intentioned bill” but that “…the road to hell is paved with them.”

While there is an opportunity for schadenfreude in the irony of their realization (we’ll leave you to speculate the nature of that), the situation makes blatantly clear that ultimately, the only “told you so” that continues to need stressing is that indeed, Amendment 3 is a fundamentally harmful initiative, that will cost Floridians in jobs, services, and their wallets much more than it could ever save.

We’ll Need to Turn Out to Turn Out Turnout!

Despite early voting extending statewide as of tomorrow, many of Florida’s counties have already began to open their doors throughout this week. As such, turnout has already begun to be measured! In a state of over 13 million eligible voters, over 2 million have already cast their ballots before Early Voting goes statewide! Wow!

As of Friday morning, the Florida Democratic Party leads in early voting turnout so far, though Florida Republicans still command a registration lead as the largest voting block, and it remains to be seen if their numbers advantage is mobilized as we march towards election day. Separately, the cautious and lower turnout so far of Florida’s frustrated Nonpartisans also indicate that millions of Floridians are still carefully evaluating their ballots ahead of election day.

Regardless of affiliation, turnout does not reflect how these voters actually voted, which we will have to wait till Election day to find out, but it does indicate that the opportunity to change minds and get out the vote is shrinking, and the time for action to mobilize our working families is now! Whether you have headed to the ballot box already or not, we need your help!

✊Solidarity Spotlight

A Moment of Appreciation for the folks driving Labor 2026

Elections don’t just cost money, they cost time, and effort, and dedication, which is why, though we absolutely need to keep the pedal to the medal, we also want to take a moment to appreciate all of the incredible volunteers and working families who have given their time, effort, and dedication over the last several months to the cause of a brighter Florida.

Since the end of the legislative session, our members across the state have knocked on tens of thousands of doors, made tens of thousands of phone calls, and held events everywhere, whether it be statewide town halls with our labor endorsed candidates, registrations and education at No Kings protests, or Labor Day press conferences. These contributions have helped elevate the candidates and issues that drive Labor 2026 and have kept Florida in the conversation well past when corporate interests and the parties thought it would be.

We can’t be thankful enough for the effort driving those results so far, whether it be the staff assisting from the national AFL-CIO, the incredible day to night work of our state federation field staff, and of course the organizing members and unions on the ground in each of our CLCs who have contributed to spreading the word via phone, foot, and conversation.

Now that we’ve kept the conversation in Florida going, it’s time to turn the talk into action. With just over a week to election day, every day, every evening, and every vote will count as we rally towards the finish line! Here is how you can get involved:

🗓️On the Horizon: Get Involved with Early Voting Week

The time to vote is HERE! Last week’s mini Labor Letter covered in depth all that you need to know before you go early vote, which we recommend a quick pass through before you head to your nearest polling place when early voting begins everywhere in Florida tomorrow, October 24th, and runs through October 31st.

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 as there is still critical work to be done in mobilizing our members over the next week! As always, our Mobilize is the best place to stay up to date, though here are several critical events to have on your calendar next week!

• Statewide
  • Important GENERAL Election Dates!
    • The primaries are over! On to the general! 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 <— YOU ARE HERE
      • Election Day:  November 3, 2026
• Digital
  • This Weekend
    • Saturday, October 24th @ 9:30AM: National AFL-CIO Phone Bank for Florida!
      • This weekend our labor family from across the nation will be joining us in leading a phone banking effort for Florida’s Congressional Districts, starting with CD 14 and Labor Endorsed Candidate Kathy Castor! Make sure to register at the link above for the morning shift, as that is the one specifically for Florida!
  • Next Week
    • EVERY DAY: GOTV Scale to Win Calls (Statewide)
      • Throughout Early Voting week, we will be expanding the scale of our Phonebanks as we call our members to ensure each and every worker is able to get out to vote! Phonebanks will be expanded to every day of the week, with two open shifts, including a daytime option for those available to join or lend time while voting precincts are open.
    • Monday, October 26th @ 6:00PM: FL Labor All-Hands Meeting (Early Voting Week!)
      • Every Monday we have been hosting your FL AFL-CIO family for a Labor 2026 All Hands on Deck call. As we head towards the final week before election day, this is a critical chance to meet and receive the latest updates from the campaign front lines, answer any questions, make requests, as well as hear about the mobilizing efforts as we prepare to get out the vote. You can attend the meeting via this zoom link.
• Regional (By CLC)
  • GOTV Lit Drops (By CLC)
    • Phones aren’t the only way we are getting out the word on GOTV. Starting next week, several of our CLCs will be hosting literature drops in their communities in the morning before joining our daily statewide phonebanks.
      • Since the Labor Letter goes out at the end of the week, we encourage anyone looking to join these efforts stay tuned to our Mobilize, as well as reach out to your local CLC and/or info@flaflcio.org to make sure you are notified as soon as possible.
  • Additional Canvassing Opportunities for this weekend and next on Mobilize!

🔐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