Civic Engagement – Page 3

City Council hearings on proposed 76 Place begin today

City Council has kicked off public hearings on the Philadelphia 76ers’ proposal to build an arena atop SEPTA’s regional rail Jefferson Station. Council President Kenyatta Johnson said:

Mayor Cherelle Parker’s Administration made the proposed Sixers arena legislation available to the public back in late September. Councilmember Mark Squilla, whose Council district the proposed arena would be located, introduced the 13 pieces of legislation on October 24. Councilmember Squilla has been working very hard over the past two years in addressing the concerns of his constituents.

Now that the legislation has been introduced, Council and every Council member is now going through our legislative process and I expect spirted Committee of the Whole hearings on this proposed arena. Councilmembers will have the opportunity to ask questions of officials from the Sixers, the Mayor Parker Administration, and others about the proposed arena project.

Council has launched a website to give the public up-to-date information, including the public hearing schedule.

As the first hearing was getting underway, SEPTA released a notice of public hearing on their plan to increase fares 29 percent beginning January 1, 2025. The higher fares would be “paired with major service cuts.” SEPTA Chief Operating Officer Scott Sauer said:

Today we stand with our feet on the edge of the fiscal cliff. With major service cuts and fare increases, this is the beginning of what we’ve been saying is the transit death.

…

We are managing the decline of SEPTA… Rail lines will become so infrequent that they will be useless to most of our customers.

The Sixers’ proposed arena is a public transit-oriented project anchored to a transit system on death watch. Let the 76 Place games begin.

Election Day 2024

Campaign ads have saturated the airwaves, social media, email and text messages for months. But you – the voter – will have the last word. More than half of registered voters have already cast their ballot, according to Gallup. If you have waited until Election Day, it’s time to put a vote on it.

If you experience a problem at your polling place, help is at your fingertips. Text or call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683).

As a long-time voting rights advocate, it was a joy to drop off my mail-in ballot at the City Commissioners satellite election office on Saturday during a pop-up party organized by Joy to the Polls.

The satellite office is in the former Fays Theatre, a storied venue where jazz greats, including Duke Ellington, performed. City officials likely don’t know the history of the building.

The party will continue on Tuesday, October 29 with Party to the Polls Purple Tour in City Hall Courtyard. The get-out-the-vote event is presented by Daybreaker. There will be yoga, breakfast and pole dancers, as well as Bill Nye, the Science Guy, and KJ Martin of the Philadelphia 76ers.

Voters can drop off their ballot at the official drop box or vote on a voting machine in City Hall, Room 140.

From now until Election Day, voters will “form a big strong line” at polling places around the country. In battleground states, they will be dancing in the street in Philadelphia, PA and the Motor City.

Countdown to Election Day 2024

We are in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election. Early voting is underway in some states. As of October 20, 2024, 4,522,275 in-person early votes have been cast nationwide, according to the Early Voter Tracker. The in-person early vote total in battleground states:

Arizona: 370,443
Georgia: 1,377,363
Michigan: 1,018,161
Nevada: 15,857
North Carolina: 952,389
Pennsylvania: 787,900
Wisconsin: 305,344

With the polls neck and neck, every vote matters. Remember, polls don’t count. It’s the people—you—who decide the outcome. So, make a plan to vote.

Your vote is your voice. Make some noise.

National Voter Registration Day 2024

In the sprint to Election Day, you will be told the 2024 Election is the most consequential election since, well, the last presidential election. This election lives up to the hype. The choice is between going back or embracing hope and opportunity.

National Voter Registration Day, the country’s largest single-day voter registration drive, is September 17, 2024. Since 2012, more than five million Americans have been registered to vote on this civic holiday.

Your vote matters. If it didn’t, conservatives would not be trying every trick in the book to block access to the ballot box. You can register to vote here.

If you are already registered, confirm your status to make sure you are #VoteReady. On Election Day, be careful how you vote.