On the slightly brisk but sunny morning of Tuesday, September 10, the second-ever satellite election office opened in East Germantown.
“Everybody make some news for democracy,” prompted Chairman of the City Commissioners Omar Sabir to neighbors and elected officials who came to the unveiling. “Because this is historic–this has never been done.”
Sabir shared that this location at 5301 Chew Avenue is the second of ten satellite offices that will emerge around the city in each council district of Philadelphia.
The satellite locations will be open seven days a week, including this one, opening at 10 a.m. every day. The office will close at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on weekends.
The Chairman mentioned that Pennsylvania’s Act 77 legislation, signed by former Governor Tom Wolf in 2019, is a significant factor in creating these offices. Act 77 greatly broadened mail-in voting options, enabling any registered voter to request a mail-in ballot without providing a reason. The law aimed to make the voting process more accessible and efficient and was originally enacted with bipartisan support.
He calls the legislation “revolutionary,” saying it gives Pennsylvanians “freedom and unprecedented access to the ballot.”
Residents will be able to do the following at the sites:
- Register to vote
- Update voter registration
- Apply for mail-in or absentee ballots, as well as completing and returning them
- Obtain replacement ballots, declaration envelopes, and/or secrecy envelopes
- Request emergency absentee ballots
Gerald, a 40-year Germantown resident, attended the opening and called this “one-stop-shopping.” This election satellite office is at The Shoppes at La Salle. He says it meets people close to where they are, which Sabir says was necessary for the geographic location of these offices.
“This is what the community needs — in all our communities — and I think it will benefit them,” said Gerald. “It strengthens [residents] and lets them know the city wants to do something for them to help them get through this election.”
Gerald hopes that neighbors will “come out, participate, and join” the civic engagement process of voting.
Various politicians from across the city came out to help welcome this new voting hub into the neighborhood, including Councilperson Cindy Bass, City Commissioner Seth Bluestein, City Controller Christy Brady, now-former 201st State Representative Stephen Kinsey, and more.
Bass said that this new office helps lead citizens toward “the kind of democracy we want for our country.”
District Attorney Larry Krasner was also in attendance. He told the Germantown Info Hub that these voter hubs are vital to community members because “voting should be as easy as possible.”
He continues: “If we don’t get those votes out, we don’t get the resources that we deserve. You need to vote because your life depends on it.”
The next satellite election office will open next Tuesday, September 17, at 56th and Lancaster.
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