Take your Souls to the Polls

The headline for my column today isn’t a new headline. It isn’t genius or creative. The first time I ever heard anyone say “Take Your Souls To The Polls, was when the late Rev. Dr. Robert P. Shine, a former president of Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, used to say it. I’m guessing that he didn’t originate the saying, but he sure carried it well every time there was an election.
That popular saying is being used again, as we speak, to encourage people who are eligible voters and who registered to vote to get to the polls on Tuesday, November 7. This is our last effort before election day to encourage people to exercise their right and vote your conscious.
I am pleased to share that the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity is partnering with Power Interfaith to help make certain that people who want to go vote in person on November 7 but may have a physical handicap where they need a ride to get there, well they can get there. If you want to take your soul to the poll on November 7 but need a ride, thanks to Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and Power Interfaith, you can get that ride. Simply call 470-868-3772, and a volunteer will get you set up for a ride. A number of churches are supporting each other in using their church vans to transport people to the polls. Again, if you need a ride, please call 470-868-3772.
I congratulate Rev. Dr. Mark Kelly Tyler for doing a special mailer to would-be voters–encouraging them not ‘how to vote’ but to go out and vote on election day. He put together a very nice mailer that says, “I’m checking to make sure everyone in our congregation has a plan to vote.” Dr. Tyler is the pastor of Mother Bethel AME Church. I’m not a member of the church. Nonetheless, I am pleased they thought of me and put me on their mailing list. Clearly, Pastor Tyler has put his money where his mouth is, in a nonpartisan way, encouraging voting on election day. I would note that Pastor Tyler is part of the Power organization, which is based at 1415 N. Broad Street at the O.I.C. complex.
Some church leaders are afraid to talk about voting at their churches. They’re concerned about losing their nonprofit status with the IRS and things of that nature. However, there is nothing wrong with (in a nonpartisan way) encouraging your congregation members and others in the community to exercise their right to vote. To me, when pastors of churches stand up and stand out and talk about why it’s so important to be engaged in the political process, what they are doing is exercising their right to be civically minded and spread the word to others, to be civically minded as well.
We also learned as recently as Friday, November 3, there are some issues with some of the mail-in ballots already received by the city of Philadelphia Board of Elections, and you have until 4 pm on election day to get to the Board of Elections office and revise your mail-in ballot if you are one of the people who made an error on the original mail-in ballot form.
The problems include missing signatures, dates on the declaration envelope, (or incorrect dates on the declaration envelope, or missing secrecy envelopes. The board has released lists of affected voters in PDF and Excel formats. These ballots cannot be counted due to these issues. To avoid having your votes not being counted, what voters need to do (who filled out a mail-in ballot incorrectly) is to get a replacement ballot. This can be done at the County Board of Elections Office located at Philadelphia City Hall, room 140. The office will be open today, Monday, November 6, and on Tuesday, November 7, General Election Day, during specific hours. Call ahead at 215-686-3462 to find out the hours they will be open. Voters with disabilities can send a designated agent to pick up and return a replacement ballot. This can only be done by using a Designated Agent form. Affected voters also have the option to cast a provisional ballot as a last resort only if a replacement ballot cannot be obtained before election day ends. Lastly, voters can find their polling place online at www.atlas.phila.gov/voting.
Whatever you do on November 7, if you are a registered voter, take your souls to the polls and VOTE.