CDW Statement on Dangerous Electronic Voting Legislation
Washington, D.C. – The new Congress is considering legislation that would take union representation elections online. This legislation is not meant to “modernize” the election process, as the bill’s supporters claim. It will, however:
- allow union organizers to bypass secret ballot elections and coerce workers into supporting unionization;
- have a negative impact on participation rates in union elections, since electronic voting routinely results in lower participation rates among workers, as compared to in-person voting; and
- increase fraud and potential identify theft due to the inability to authenticate who potential voters are and lack of cybersecurity protocols.
CDW Chair Kristen Swearingen cautioned, “This dangerous legislation needlessly exposes workers to intimidation. It gives union organizers the ability to stand over the shoulders of workers while they vote on whether or not to support unionization, pressuring them to vote in favor of union representation. Under this misguided bill workers will face increased intimidation and threats to their privacy as well as a stronger likelihood that they will not participate in such a critical decision like union representation. Congress should emphatically reject this bill.”