The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York (FASNY), New York State Association of Fire Chiefs (NYSAFC), and the Association of Fire Districts of the State of New York announced today an all out effort to register thousands of fire service members in time for them to be eligible to vote in the general election on November 2, 2010, utilizing the newly created website www.firefightersvote.com.
A countdown clock to the days left to register is ticking away on Facebook and other web outlets of each of the organizations encouraging members to vote. Mail registration applications must be postmarked no later than October 8th and received by board of elections not later than October 13th to be eligible to vote in the General Election. If registering in person your application must be received no longer than October 8th except, if you have been honorably discharged from the military or have become a naturalized citizen since October 8th, you may register in person at the board of elections up until October 22nd. Please visit www.firefightersvote.com to download the necessary forms and full details on the registration process.
This year every member of the New York State Legislature is up for re-election, not to mention the governorship and other statewide offices. FASNY and its partners believe it’s important to get firefighters, their families, and friends involved in this great opportunity to vote, in order to have a say in New York State government.
While each of these fire service groups is different, they all share some of the same challenges. “It’s imperative we work with other fire service groups to get the word out about how important it is to register, and ultimately vote in every election,” said David Jacobowitz, President of FASNY. “There are more than 100,000 volunteer firefighters and 30,000 volunteer EMS personnel in the state of New York. If you add their family and friends we are talking about a group that could number a half million people. This makes for a large voting bloc that can make the difference in close elections from one part of the state to the other. Together, we can make our voice heard at the ballot box.”