What started at a single polling place in Philadelphia has today grown into a national non-partisan effort to help people look forward to voting. Watch for a DJ near you on Election Day 2024.
Who knew democracy could be this much fun?
At polling sites in cities throughout Pennsylvania on Election Day, Nov. 5, voters may find themselves dancing in line, with local DJs providing the beat.
DJs at the Polls, a national, non-partisan get-out-the-vote group, promises to keep the day upbeat and harmonious, providing 3,500 DJs to play family-friendly music at more than 7,000 polling sites in 11 battleground states, including Pennsylvania.
The work has two goals: Get out the vote and celebrate America’s free and fair elections.
“It’s different and exciting,” says community activist Anton Moore, leader of Philadelphia’s 48th ward, who launched the program in Philadelphia in 2008. In past elections, he has seen “a soul train line, what they call the Cupid Shuffle, the electric slide, and line dancing…. People are just excited, so come on and lift your spirit up and keep pushing and keep going. This election really matters.”
Don’t miss the music
DJs at the Polls is now running social media campaigns, texting voters, providing updates on Instagram, and sending out postcards so people know that a DJ will be at their voting site.
On Oct. 25, DJs at the Polls will help whip up excitement by sponsoring a Power 99 special event at Philly’s Wells Fargo Stadium, featuring star DJs—including DJ Diamond Kuts, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Gunna, Bossman DLow, and Lay Bankz.
DJ Diamond Kuts, aka Tina Dunham, has led the recruitment of DJs for the past four years. She’s well-known as the first female mixer to get a slot on local radio station Power 99, and the first female DJ for the Philadelphia Eagles’ home games. “She is Philly music royalty, because she gets it,” Moore says.
“DJs are cultural organizers,” says Dunham. “They’re part of the community—they play at your daughter’s sweet sixteen, your son’s communion, your church picnic. Their joy and energy are already bringing people together for important life events. Now, DJs at the Polls is harnessing that energy to bring voters out for Election Day.”
Celebrate Your Civic Duty
From its humble roots at its first Philadelphia location, at a polling place on 23rd Street and Snyder Avenue, DJs at the Polls has exploded in growth. This year, it expanded nationally, and could reach as many as 10 million registered voters in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, North Carolina, Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Texas.
“Before it was like, you hand out a pamphlet on Election Day and say, ‘Hey, vote!’” says founder Moore, 38, who also heads Unity in the Community, an organization which works to prevent gun violence. “I wanted to bring more excitement and fun.”
Roughly one-third of eligible voters didn’t cast ballots in 2020, with many feeling as if their votes didn’t matter, or that voting was too much of a chore. DJs at the Polls is focusing on reaching them, particularly in densely populated urban areas with large numbers of underrepresented voters—and studies show its strategy works.
This year, thousands of DJs signed up for a chance to earn as much as $500 per set, with two shifts a day, by helping people get excited about doing their civic duty.
In compliance with local election guidelines, the nonprofit’s DJs will set up at the permissible distance from the polling place entrance, and follow all local regulations.
And they’ll be sure to be heard—as will the voices of people they encourage to come out and vote.
For more information:
- Voting in Pennsylvania has already begun! Find out where you can vote early: https://www.vote.upenn.edu/early-voting-in-pennsylvania/
- Philadelphia city commissioners have opened 11 satellite locations where residents can register to vote and drop off mail-in ballots.
- Follow DJs at the Polls on Instagram to find out the latest.
- Verify your voter registration status and learn more about the dynamic group on DJs at the Polls’ website.
For media inquiries, contact Nancy Friedman at 917-309-9343 or via email at nancy@djsatthepoll.org.
