New series of Philadelphia neighborhood events aims to boost voter participation

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The Philadelphia City Commissioners’ Office is betting on the power of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods to help register more eligible voters and keep residents engaged between elections. Through a new initiative called “Beyond the Ballots,” the office is bringing free food, music, giveaways and voter education to satellite election offices across the city this summer.

According to recent Census data, just above 94% of Philadelphians are eligible to vote. But the city estimates there are still 65,000 eligible Philadelphians who are not currently registered to vote. While Philly voter turnout has remained high in presidential elections, participation in off-year contests drops sharply, prompting the office to look for ways to connect with voters outside the traditional election season.

“We thought about a way to bridge the gap between an election and an election cycle, and we know that Philly summers are legendary,” said Kalia Baker, the office’s director of communications. “There are block parties and events everywhere. Especially this summer, we had so many monumental events happening in our city, and we wanted to do our part to offer something free and exciting to our Philadelphia voters at our satellite election offices.”

The 10 Satellite Election Offices provide permanent spaces for Philadelphians all over the city to register to vote, drop off or receive election materials like mail-in ballots, and update their registration.

The office’s new initiative is increasing programming at these spaces to draw more Philadelphians in. Participants at each event can register to vote, explore voter resources, learn how to become a poll worker and connect with community partners.

“We want voting to feel less like a chore and more like people are really getting their voices heard,” Baker said. “And Satellite Election Offices exist for that purpose. We have people who walk in off the street every single day to ask questions or voice concerns. And so this series of events all summer is all about fun, but also our civic duties.”

Trying to push numbers

Baker said the initiative also responds to consistently lower turnout in Philadelphia’s off-year elections.

Philly’s highest primary election turnout was in 2020 — with just over 33% of Philly voters showing up.

In the latest primary election in Philadelphia, just over 22% of Philadelphia voters showed up to cast their ballot. This is an improvement from some other off-year primaries — like the 16.61% participation rate in the May 2025 primary election, and a 19.36% participation rate in the April 2024 primary election.

But Baker said the most recent primary election numbers mean that nearly eight out of every 10 registered Philly voters sat out.

“A lot of it we think is attributed to political fatigue — just, you know, a lot of bombarding of headlines and not really understanding,” she said. “And then I think some people do feel disenfranchised. I think people do wonder if it matters, and we are here to say that it does matter.”

She explained that “Beyond the Ballots” is hoping to meet people where they are.

“We do want people to remember that their vote counts, their voice counts, and that participating in an election is not necessarily about doing something for someone else,” she said. “It really is about the choices that get made in your everyday life, like what happens in your neighborhood, what happens to your child’s school, what resources are available for your neighborhood.”

Baker said the organization is trying to connect with people ahead of a “monumental midterm election.”

“We don’t want to wait [until it’s] too late,” she said. “We want to start having these conversations around data and around … the missing pieces of our voting picture.”

The full picture

Voter turnout is going to “vary drastically” depending on what is on the ballot, Baker said.

For example, over 60% of Philadelphians showed up to vote for the 2020 and 2024 general elections — which included the presidential race. And for the 2022 general election, which included a high-profile governor and state Senate race, voter turnout was almost 50%.

However, comparing those numbers to off years like 2021, where the turnout was 21%, Baker said it is important all Philadelphians are understanding how their vote can affect change in the city each year.

“We just want to make sure that people know that their opinions can help drive change in a city that they either are from or live in and care about,” she said.

Baker said it is also important to engage Philadelphians in all parts of the city. The “Beyond the Ballot” events will take place at the Satellite Election Offices in all parts of the city.

“Our motto is ‘every block, every voice,’” she said. “That’s why we’re going to all 10 Satellite Election Offices so that everyone in each district feels represented and seen.”

She said she hopes that by bringing these resources directly to people’s neighborhoods, it’ll be more accessible for them to participate.