KFTC Blog

Tomorrow is Election Day – Tuesday, November 6.

This is a critical election, unlike any other. Control of the Kentucky House, the US House and local governments hang in the balance, and tomorrow’s results will determine how effectively we can fight for our vision in 2019 and 2020.

In this long election cycle we’ve registered thousands of people to vote and talked with tens of thousands at events, trainings, phone banks and more. But there’s still a few things you can do in the next day and a half that can make the difference.

1. Learn about the candidates and vote. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can see what’s on your ballot, where candidates stand on issues, find your voting location and more at www.KentuckyElection.org. Make a plan now to vote tomorrow.
2. Spread the word to friends and family. Call everyone in your cell phone tonight to remind them to vote; use social media to talk about candidates you care about; share www.KentuckyElection.org with everyone you run into between now and 6 p.m. tomorrow. It might feel like everyone you know is already voting and knows who they’re voting for – but some of them aren’t ready yet. You can actually make the difference for a lot of your friends. If you and all 12,000 KFTC members do this, we win big on election day.
3. Volunteer. There’s still time to volunteer with your local KFTC chapter and call voters to mobilize them, pass out our voter guides, go door-to-door, and join in creative election day events like bike parades! Contact your local KFTC organizer or reach out to our Democracy Organizer Dave Newton at 859-420-8919 or [email protected] to volunteer outside of chapter areas.

More than 30 community members from the Corbin area gathered on Sunday to watch "Anne Braden: Southern Patriot" and have a conversation about the film. The event was hosted by the Cumberland Chapter of KFTC. Appalshop director Mimi Pickering led the conversation afterwards, which created a space for folks to talk about organizing for racial justice.

As Halloween approached alongside the 2018 mid-term elections, Madison County members gathered for the chapter’s second annual Halloween Spectacular on October 21.

Featuring a chili cook-off, costume contest and silent auction, the Halloween party served as a way to build new power, raise funds and promote KFTC’s Action For Democracy initiative.

The event provided for entertainment, good cheer and community engagement.

Most recent update as of Jan 2, 2019: Sixteen local governments in Kentucky have passed local resolutions in 2018 calling on Senator McConnell and other members of Congress to do right by our miners and communities by passing the RECLAIM Act, strengthening funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and protecting miners' pensions. 

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The resolution was first adopted by the City of Benham in Harlan County in September 2018. That action was followed quickly by local governments in the cities of Jackson, Morehead and Whitesburg, and in Breathitt, Knott, Letcher, Rowan and Pike counties. 

Knott, Letcher, Rowan and Pike counties became the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th local governments in eastern Kentucky to pass a local resolution calling on members of Congress to pass several bills needed to help sick, disabled, retired and unemployed coal miners and their communities. The fiscal courts in Letcher and Knott counties took the unanimous action at their respective monthly meetings on October 15, and Pike and Rowan counties acted the next day.

Update 11.30.2018: The Floyd County Fiscal Court became the 10th Kentucky community to pass the resolution on October 18. Magoffin County quickly became the 11th, followed by Ohio County, in Western Kentucky, Knox County, and the City of Lynch in Harlan County. 

Update 12.10.2018: Johnson County's Fiscal Court passed the 15th resolution in Kentucky by local governments calling on Senator McConnell and other members of Congress to do right by our miners and coal communities!

Update in late December: Harlan County's Fiscal Court passed the 16th resolution urging Congress to pass the RECLAIM Act, strengthen the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, and protect miners' pensions.