As music played in the background, hundreds of Philadelphia high school students marched around City Hall wearing T-shirts and signs urging their fellow citizens to participate in the democratic process.
The march was part of a suffrage festival that included Philadelphia city commissioners, the Committee of Seventy, and City Hall suffrage organizations.
The festival took place on “National Early Voting Day” Friday, with live entertainment, food and speakers.
“We want every eligible voter to be informed when they vote and to vote with confidence,” said Al Schmitt, president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy. “This is a celebration of our democratic process and an opportunity for everyone to see for themselves how free, fair, safe and reliable our elections are. The best way to strengthen democracy is to participate in it.”
The festival began with poll organizers handing out food, drinks and ballots to passers-by as they passed City Hall while circus acts performed and a DJ played music in the background.
Student speakers, city officials and political organizers then took to the podium, giving speeches and reciting poems that highlighted common issues in the city of Philadelphia and urged people to be a part of the democratic process.
“A lot of the problems that continue in these areas are not just about the residents, but people who promise to improve our communities don’t follow through on their promises,” said Destiny Holley, a senior at Parkway Northwestern High School. . “And one thing, I’m tired of empty promises.
“That’s why it’s so important to vote, because we want people in positions of power to make positive changes.”
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Lee Chapman said young people will decide this election and many elections to come.
“So, I’m asking every voter here today — young and old — not to let anyone stop you from using your vote,” she said.
“Pennsylvania allows early voting by mail, and National Early Voting Day is a great opportunity to make sure that many Philadelphians exercise their right,” added City Commissioner Lisa Dilley. “Voting should always feel like a celebration.”
Mayor Jim Kenney highlighted efforts across the country to delegitimize the election.
“Now in this country … there’s a movement to get us back to where we were before the Civil War,” Kenney said during the festival. – If this election goes wrong … we will get a governor and a US senator who will take us back to the bad old days.
“The only way to stop them is to take that ballot and put it in the box or go vote on Election Day.”
https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/city-officials-and-students-come-out-for-national-vote-early-day/article_723a9a25-dacb-5013-9774-67e1da3b5ab4.html
