Congratulations, Mr. President and Madam Vice President #AFTvotes

On Saturday, national news organizations projected that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will win a majority in the Electoral College, declaring them the winners of the 2020 Presidential race. Even with a number of mail and provision ballots yet to be counted, the current vote count shows the Biden-Harris ticket winning more votes than any ticket in history. Their vote total and winning margin in the popular vote is expected to grow further in the days and weeks ahead.

 

“AFT Massachusetts congratulates President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris on their decisive victory, and we look forward to a peaceful transition to the Biden-Harris administration in the coming months,” said AFT Massachusetts President Beth Kontos. “We’re relieved that we will have an administration that will listen to scientists and focus on getting COVID-19 under control so we can get back to school safely. We’re glad to have new leadership in Washington that will prioritize investments in our economic recovery, not seek to starve the public services that are needed to rebuild America. And we’re thrilled to have a First Lady in the White House, Jill Biden, who understands the needs of educators because she is an educator herself. The results of this election belong to everyone who voted, volunteered, and marched in the streets to demand a government that prioritizes working people over wealth and power.”

 

“I especially want to the thank the thousands of professional and volunteer public servants who worked the polls, counted ballots, and otherwise contributed to a safe and efficient election despite the hardships brought on by the pandemic,” she continued. “We should all be proud of the high turnout in this election, and AFT Massachusetts hopes to see continued efforts to make voting easy and convenient here and across the country.”

 

“In the coming months, we’ll continue to advocate for the federal funding we need to deliver high-quality remote learning and make our school buildings safe, aggressive science-based measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus, and an approach to education policy that treats educators as the true experts we are, including a champion for educators as our next U.S. Secretary of Education,” said Kontos. “We’ll work to hold the Biden-Harris administration accountable for the promises they’ve made, and demand action from Congress on the priorities the American people voted overwhelmingly to support. The election is over, and it’s time to get to work.”