After helping to deliver election victories across the state, Pennsylvania voters say they are holding lawmakers accountable for their promises on the campaign trail.
“I’m 70. I have grandkids. I don’t want them to live in this kind of society,” said Tyrone Patterson, a member of SEIU 32BJ, at a post-election rally in Philadelphia.
Patterson was among the throng of voters, union members, and community advocates who gathered across the commonwealth on Saturday to celebrate the results of the November midterm election. The event was also a chance for attendees to remind newly elected officials that the work does not end when the votes are counted.
“The working people are the power,” Patterson said. “They may have the money, but we have the power. And with that power we can make things change.”
The message was clear at rallies in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New Kingston, Allentown, Wilkes-Barre, York, Reading, and Bellefonte: Voters expect action on the issues that shaped their votes, including the cost of living, healthcare, education, workers’ rights, and immigration enforcement.
“We showed up, now we expect you to show up for us,” said Aya Mohamed, organizing director for Make the Road Pennsylvania, at the Allentown event.
The rallies came after an election that organizers said demonstrated voters’ desire for a government that prioritizes working families and local communities. At each event, attendees demanded lower household costs, taxes on billionaires and corporations, protections for immigrants, expansion of healthcare, and improvements in public education.
Danny Bauder, president of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO, had a message for newly elected and reelected lawmakers:
“You must move quickly and with great urgency,” he said. “There is no time to wait. We are demanding change, bold change in healthcare and public education. For transit. And we want you to partner with us because we are very willing to partner with you and get this done.”
Voters want elected lawmakers to deliver
At the Pittsburgh rally, Ashley Comans pointed out that winning an election does not give a lawmaker permission to ignore the people who helped put them in office.
“Our elected officials must understand that an endorsement, a campaign contribution, a volunteer’s time, or a vote is not a blank check,” said Comans, political director for Pennsylvania Working Families Party’s Western Pennsylvania region. “It should be their motivation for making a commitment to deliver for the people who believe in their leadership and their words, to fight for them and their communities.”
Comans said voters need to continue asking whether their elected lawmakers are making a difference in their everyday lives.
“Are our prices coming down? Are our paychecks growing? Are families more secure? Are immigrant families safer? Are we investing in our children?” she asked. “And if that answer is no, what are we going to do about it?”
Success, Comans said, should not simply be measured by how many seats flipped or which candidates won office.
“The real measure of our success is whether a working mom can afford childcare or a family can keep a roof over their heads,” Comans said. “Whether a worker can support their family or that our children have opportunities that we never had.
“The people, we did our part. Now it’s time for the government to do theirs.”
