First PA Voter Registration Trip: A Volunteer’s Experience

By Dale Corvino

Dale and other volunteers in Philadelphia

On March 24th, I joined busloads of volunteers from OfA teams – Downtown East, Chelsea/West Village, Harlem, the Bronx – and various other activists groups on the two-hour drive to Philadelphia. We convened at a terminal and there were greeted by OfA staff and local volunteers. We were split up into teams, and assigned volunteer drivers to transport us to various neighborhoods. Our team was shuttled to a shopping plaza in Strawberry Mansion, a neighborhood of North Philadelphia.

On the ground, we met Shirley, an energetic local captain. Shirley provided us with an overview, clipboards and registration forms. We spread out, in teams of two, to all the high-traffic points of the shopping plaza – in front of the supermarket, the dollar store, the ladies’ clothing store, the bus stop. Drizzle reduced the amount of foot traffic in the plaza, but it did pick up once the skies cleared in the afternoon.

We asked passersbys 3 questions: if they were registered to vote, if they were aware of the upcoming primary, and if they were aware of the change in voter ID laws. People’s reactions ranged from supportive and thankful to indifferent. Few were interested in voting in the primary, but knowledge of the change in voter ID laws was very high. Every volunteer signed up at least one new registrant, and at the end of the day we had a total of forty-two. At the end of the day, we were shuttled back to the bus meeting point.

More info about getting ID to meet the new statute can be found at Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) See the section about the Oath/ Affirmation Voter ID form: http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/pdotforms/voterid/VoterAffirmationNoProofofID.pdf, which at least provides for a no-cost proof of identification for voting purposes. The main Philadelphia PennDOT location is at 1530 South Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Suggestions for a day of voter registration:

  • Wear comfortable shoes
  • Check the forecast (umbrella? rain jacket? sunglasses? layers?)
  • Bring snacks, drinks, phone charger and two pens
  • Buddy up
  • Exchange cell phone numbers
  • Learn from your Philadelphia counterparts!