Teach Plus statement on United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) vote in favor of online voting initiative:
“On May 23, the membership of United Teachers Los Angeles (UTLA) voted in favor of using online voting for all UTLA contractual ratifications, initiatives, referendums and any other city-wide votes. An overwhelming 77% of the vote was in favor of the initiative. Teach Plus applauds the leadership of Los Angeles Teaching Policy Fellows Marisa Crabtree, Mike Hess, Megan Markevich, Sarah Williams, Marca Whitten, and Linda Yaron in launching the online voting initiative,” said John Lee, Senior Executive Director of Teach Plus Los Angeles. “A diverse group of classroom teachers districtwide supported the ‘YES’ vote. The number of votes cast was 23% larger than voter turnout in the most recent presidential election, indicating a strong degree of interest in this issue. Online voting removes some of the barriers for union participation and provides all members with greater access to future elections. Teachers in our district look forward to the implementation of online voting for all upcoming union elections. We are hopeful that this is one step towards improving member participation and further modernizing the teachers union. “
