By Paul R. Tempo
Whereas each election issues, the November 2022 midterms are crucial as a result of human rights like voting, reproductive well being and LGBTQIA+—points central to social work’s mission and values—are in deep jeopardy.
In some states, these rights are explicitly on the poll, says Tanya Rhodes Smith, teacher in residence and director of the Nancy A. Humphreys Institute for Political Social Work on the College of Connecticut College of Social Work.
“We discover ourselves defending rights we took without any consideration as a result of the assaults on our democracy have labored,” Smith says. “Most individuals don’t vote as a result of they don’t assume it issues or they’ve misplaced confidence within the system. A wholesome democracy that works for all individuals will depend on all individuals voting and taking part.”
NASW has been collaborating with nationwide voter mobilization organizations, together with Voting is Social Work (votingissocialwork.org), of which Smith is a workforce member. NASW urges social staff to vote and to assist shoppers be taught the significance of casting their ballots.
The NASW Political Motion for Candidate Election (PACE) committee evaluations and endorses congressional candidates. As well as, the affiliation has funded discipline organizers to work within the battleground states of Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Be taught extra on the NASW Increasing Voter Participation web page
“Social staff assist individuals navigate complicated techniques every single day, and voting needs to be no exception,” Smith says. “It’s not about who, however sharing tips on how to vote, when to vote, the place to vote, the place to seek out details about the candidates, tips on how to get a replica of the poll, sharing voter rights, and as importantly, reminding individuals their vote does matter.”
Votingissocialwork.org is supposed to be a useful resource for social staff who need to interact their shoppers, communities, college students, and colleagues to vote, Smith mentioned. Guests to the positioning can discover easy-to-use instruments, analysis and sources.
“We’re calling on all social staff to take the Energy of Three Pledge to interact three voters in 2022,” she says.
Know-how is making voting simpler, particularly in states the place registering voters is prohibited by punitive insurance policies, Smith factors out. Individuals are registering themselves via their gadgets. Additionally they can obtain textual content reminders to vote in all future elections in addition to request an absentee poll software.
Brian Romero, co-chair of NASW-PACE, mentioned “The upcoming (midterm) election will decide the course of many coverage arenas vital to the social work career and the communities we have now dedicated to serving and advocating for.”
He says the election will affect the nationwide dialog about public well being and security and whether or not the nation will make investments the required sources to curb gun violence, increase well being and psychological well being infrastructure and defend abortion entry.
“After the newest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change) report, it’s estimated that we have now 30 months to start a big transition to renewable power if we’re going to mitigate probably the most extreme penalties of local weather change,” Romero mentioned. “Inflation and a possible recession additionally burden the financial well-being of shoppers, and we’ll both elect candidates who will steadiness the tax burden on the working class and poor individuals or proceed to offer handouts to the rich.”
All 435 seats within the U.S. Home of Consultant are up for election this yr, and 35 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for normal re-election and one particular election in Oklahoma.
