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The Philadelphia City Commissioners’ Office is betting on the power of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods to help register more eligible voters and keep residents engaged between elections. Through a new initiative called “Beyond the Ballots,” the office is bringing free food, music, giveaways and voter education to satellite election offices across the city this summer.
According to recent Census data, just above 94% of Philadelphians are eligible to vote. But the city estimates there are still 65,000 eligible Philadelphians who are not currently registered to vote. While Philly voter turnout has remained high in presidential elections, participation in off-year contests drops sharply, prompting the office to look for ways to connect with voters outside the traditional election season.
“We thought about a way to bridge the gap between an election and an election cycle, and we know that Philly summers are legendary,” said Kalia Baker, the office’s director of communications. “There are block parties and events everywhere. Especially this summer, we had so many monumental events happening in our city, and we wanted to do our part to offer something free and exciting to our Philadelphia voters at our satellite election offices.”
The 10 Satellite Election Offices provide permanent spaces for Philadelphians all over the city to register to vote, drop off or receive election materials like mail-in ballots, and update their registration.
The office’s new initiative is increasing programming at these spaces to draw more Philadelphians in. Participants at each event can register to vote, explore voter resources, learn how to become a poll worker and connect with community partners.
“We want voting to feel less like a chore and more like people are really getting their voices heard,” Baker said. “And Satellite Election Offices exist for that purpose. We have people who walk in off the street every single day to ask questions or voice concerns. And so this series of events all summer is all about fun, but also our civic duties.”