To ensure that their voices will be heard in the halls of government, Local 237 President Carl Haynes urged members last month to be sure they are registered to vote in the November 4 election.

“The right of free elections which we enjoy in this country was won by the shedding of blood,” Haynes said. “All of us should take the opportunity to cast our ballots in recognition of this sacrifice and let our government leaders know how we feel.”

Haynes said voters should pay particular interest to a major question on the ballot which, if approved, could effect drastic changes in the election process.

“Voters are going to be asked to approve City Charter changes that would allow for non-partisan elections for all city and borough-wide offices,” he pointed out. “I think that our members should make every effort to assure that this idea is defeated.”

Haynes said a Charter Revision Commission appointed by Mayor Bloomberg voted in August to place a referendum on the ballot that would eliminate party primaries. If approved, there would be two rounds of elections. The first, in September, would determine the two top candidates to garner the most votes. The second, in November, would pit these two against each other.

Democratic leaders are opposed to the plan because they believe it would provide a greater chance of victory for those who are wealthy. They also feel it would hamper minority candidates, such as Blacks, Hispanics and Asians, whose strength is more pronounced in Democratic primaries.

Haynes said he agrees with the 106-year-old civic group, Citizens Union, which has also launched a campaign to defeat the proposed change on Election Day.

A group of New Yorkers who have long sought honest and efficient government for the city and state, Citizens Union members objected to the Charter change saying they feel that “open and honest political party affiliations are vital to a properly functioning democracy.”

They contend that non-partisan balloting denies voters of important information relating to candidates’ platforms and policies.

In a “fast-paced, ethnically diverse, world-leadership city such as New York,” Citizens Union pointed out, “the ability of voters to recognize the affiliation of candidates with the parties that support them — quickly and efficiently — provides critically important information at least about candidates’ general political frame of reference, as the Mayor has recently acknowledged by suggesting candidates be permitted to list their party affiliation, even on a ‘non-partisan’ ballot.”