1199ers and other union members in Buffalo, NY gathered on March 17 at the Edward Sanders Community Center for a door-to-door voter registration drive.



“This is my community, so I need to be responsible for changing it,” says Doris Krawl, 1199 activist and retiree. “Registering people to vote is a small, but significant step in the right direction, that’s why I came out today.”



The 14215 area code in the city of Buffalo contains the highest union member density in the entire city. Unfortunately, it also has one of the highest percentage of people unregistered to vote. “We’ve decided to chip away at this block of unregistered people. We will continue to work this zip code get our message out there and ensure that our worker friendly candidates win this election,” said Maurice Brown, the union’s political coordinator in Western NY. “Working people have a lot at stake here. It’s incredible how our members step up each time, get out there and get it done!”



Political volunteers handed out information on upcoming Weekend Warrior efforts for the Obama campaign—people leaving their homes for the weekend to campaign in nearby “battleground” states-- and redistricting in NYS. They knocked on hundreds of doors and registered dozens of people to vote.



“We are out here not just trying to get people elected, but to support the issues that matter to our families and neighborhoods,” said union delegate Annie Lewis.



Those Interested in joining the next door-to-door canvass should please contact Maurice Brown at 716.995.3702 or via email Maurice.brown@1199.org