Let me get right to the point. It’s voting time. It’s voting time right now. While the general election is not until Tuesday, November 5, people in Pennsylvania and at least 18 other states have the luxury of voting by mail. To say it more delicately, people in certain states across the country can fill out their ballot for the candidates of their choice before election day. The “ballots” are not actually counted until election day. For me, the process of applying for a vote-by-mail ballot was so smooth and so easy. While originally I had said to myself, “I’m going to go and vote in person at my polling place because that’s what I always do,” things changed. I honestly do love going to the polls and seeing my election day officials, conversing with them, going into the booth, and pushing the buttons on the names I wish to vote for.
This year, however, as I came out to attend the grand opening of the satellite voting office at the corner of Broad and Dauphin on September 24, 2024, I got caught up in the excitement of using the office, and I found myself filling out the form requesting to vote by mail. It took maybe two minutes to fill that out. Next, I had to sit with a staff member at the office for perhaps two minutes. She asked to see my driver’s license or some form of official identification, and then I was shown over to a booth, where I was given a ballot to cast my votes for the candidates of my choice. That took another perhaps minute. After that, I had to sign the ballot and date it. After placing my ballot inside a secrecy envelope and sealing that envelope. My ballot was then placed into another envelope. I handed it over to one of the city commissioner’s staff members. She looked it over and told me to drop it in the Eagles Green Mail Box outside in front of the satellite office, which I did, and that was it. About four days later, I received an email from the Commonwealth of PA indicating that my ballot had been received.
That was it! Simple, one and done. One stop and get it all done same-day service. It was definitely a smooth process. Try it. You’ll like it. On November 5, I’ll be out and about chatting with voters, checking in at various polling locations around the city, and right around lunchtime, breaking bread with a lot of area elected officials who all have a strong vision for Philadelphia, for the Commonwealth, and for our nation.
Chairman of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, Omar Sabir, during the grand opening of the voting office at Broad and Dauphin Streets, stated, “We are excited about voting. We are motivated, and we have to tell our family and friends how critical voting is and also tell them how to use the resources we have available. City Council has made a historic investment in the City Commissioners Office. I would hate to come back to the council next year to tell them that nobody used the Satellite Election Offices. We have to spread the word that you don’t have to wait until Tuesday, November 5 to cast your ballot. You can do it now, just like I just did ten minutes ago. A lot of people have lost hope. We have to encourage people to not give up. We have to believe in the Democratic process. We’re calling on North Philadelphia to have a historic voter turnout, as well as citizens all over Philadelphia. The more Philadelphia votes, the more Philadelphia gets.”
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