The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Teachers invited to display bumper stickers and lawn signs during the election

A telephone town hall hosted by the Alberta Teachers’ Association is part of its political engagement strategy for the next provincial general election, which will be held some time between March 1 and May 31. Telephone town halls are a cross between an extremely large conference call and a private talk radio show. The Association’s telephone town hall will feature an Association official and representatives of the five political parties with seats in the current legislature. Participants can listen to the proceedings or use their touch tone keypad if they wish to pose a question to the speakers.

Teachers will be notified of the telephone town hall a few days beforehand through a broadcast voice message to their home telephone number. They should log in to TNET at www.teachers.ab.ca and ensure that their home telephone number is up to date if they wish to be contacted to participate in this exclusive opportunity. The exact date of the telephone town hall will depend on the date of the next election.

"Public Education: a vote for the future" bumper stickers

Teachers also received an election-related bumper sticker from their school representative through the February school mailing. Displaying the theme “Public Education: a vote for the future,” the sticker is fully removable and can be affixed to a variety of places to help remind Albertans to think of education when they cast their ballot. Teachers could post their sticker on their car bumper, in a window at home, at a supportive business’s storefront or in some other high-profile location where permission has been obtained. Teachers could also pass along the sticker to a friend, neighbour, family member or community leader to emphasize the importance of public education to all citizens, regardless of their connection to the education system.

The backing of the sticker will feature a list of some issues important to public education. These are intended to spark discussion with candidates and with citizens at large. Teachers could retain the backing in a convenient location by their front door at home so that the issues are top of mind when a candidate knocks on the door. Consistent with its policy, the Association’s election messaging is nonpartisan. It is intended to raise awareness of important education issues but makes no judgment about party platforms and does not promote one party over another.

Student Vote

The February school mailing also included information on Student Vote, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that aims to build the capacity and commitment of young Canadians to participate in their democracy. Teachers are encouraged to visit Student Vote’s website at www.studentvote.ca to register their school to participate in a parallel election for students coinciding with the next provincial general election. The purpose of this flagship program, which combines in-class learning, family dialogue, media consumption and an authentic voting experience, is to provide young Canadians with an opportunity to experience the democratic process firsthand and practice the habits of informed and engaged citizenship.

Vote4Kids lawn signs

Finally, the Association has revived the Vote4Kids campaign that was first implemented in the 2008 provincial general election. Vote4Kids lawn signs were distributed to local presidents at the February 10–11 Local Presidents’ Meeting on the basis of one sign for every 10 teachers. Locals have been asked to help get the signs out to teachers for placement on their lawns during the election campaign. Locals have also been asked to help locate signs from the last campaign and encourage teachers to put them up again for duration of the campaign.