By Natalie Buck, Global Mission Fellow US-2 at Arch Street UMC

         This election was certainly one to remember in Philadelphia, and I’m incredibly grateful that I was able to play one small role in a collective effort. The 2020 presidential election included months of preparation and mail-in voting, a day of in-person voting, and joyful resistance as court challenges threatened to dismiss some mail-in votes. It wouldn’t have been possible without my neighbors in North Philadelphia, our Arch Street UMC team, the interfaith advocacy organization POWER, and activists and community members that connected downtown. 

         November 3 was a day to honor the preparation that was required by Philadelphians. Throughout that morning, afternoon, and evening I went with my fellow United Methodist Global Mission Fellow Ben Lasley to the closest polling station, only four blocks from Serenity House Community Center where I work, to hand out extra masks and candy to voters. These practical and fun signs of support to voters were both available through Arch Street UMC. As a 501c3 non-profit, Arch Street has been working with city officials to make sure that folks in Center City and North Philly have access to PPE. Distributing extra masks is an important part of our Grace Café meals every Sunday, and Ben and I have been distributing masks and hand sanitizer from the Serenity House stoop every Thursday afternoon. In September and October we also assisted neighbors with voter registration and distributed in-person voting information that was prepared by POWER, an interfaith advocacy organization. When the registration deadline passed, we continued to check folks’ registration status, answer questions, and direct our neighbors to the closest satellite election center. November 3 was the big day we had been preparing for in Philadelphia!

         The morning, afternoon, and evening of November 3, I witnessed neighbors who were committed to casting their votes. People of all ages strode into Clymer Elementary School for voting, including a child named Jay who was eager to tell me about how proud he was to attend that same elementary school while his grandmother chatted with her long-time friends who were serving as poll workers. A few elderly folks were accompanied by younger family members on either side, slowly but steadily walking with them down the sidewalk and up the step into Clymer Elementary for voting. November 3 was a day where people were out and about. This was exciting because I’ve been struggling to meet people in my neighborhood during a pandemic that has so significantly limited low-risk in-person interactions. This was very different on November 3 as elderly community members who have been cautious about interacting with groups made their way to the socially distanced polls. All of these neighbors knew they had important work to do, despite complications during a pandemic. This is work my neighbors have been doing faithfully in election after election at that same polling place.

         This week I had a phone conversation with a neighbor that allowed me to reflect further on my neighbors’ perspective on voting. Miss Gloria, who has provided leadership in this community for several decades, expressed her concern about the ongoing conversations about which mail-in votes should be counted and which were being considered for dismissal. I remembered the elderly neighbors who were so very committed to voting despite mobility challenges. Although their in-person votes were already secured, counted, and reported, it made the ongoing, multigenerational struggle for voting rights so much more palpable. In a nation where black people’s suffrage was not enforced and protected until the 1965 Voting Rights Act, it made sense that my neighbors who were black would have deep emotions and opinions about their votes in this and every election, especially with ongoing voter suppression. This frustration and concern was completely understandable, and I’m honored that Miss Gloria shared it with me.

         This feeling of frustration and concern about voting rights was followed by a joyful memory from election week as the people responded to these court challenges to the mail-in vote counting process. That Thursday, as votes continued to be counted in the downtown convention center, activists and community members gathered to express their desire that every vote would be counted. Rev. Robin Hynicka, Deaconess Darlene DiDomineck, and my fellow UM Global Mission Fellow Ben Lasley joined the protesters to dance and chant “Count Every Vote.” Although these weren’t directly representing the votes of my elderly neighbors in North Philly who had slowly but steadily made their way to their polling place, I knew that many of those mail-in votes represented Philadelphians whose mobility challenges, work schedules, and family commitments didn’t allow them to vote in-person on November 3. I’m sure they were frustrated and concerned about the potential dismissal of their votes, too. In response to this frustration and concern, the people gathered chose to resist the dismissal of mail-in ballots by dancing and chanting “Count Every Vote.” Songs like “Freedom” by Beyonce provided the message and the electric slide dance provided the mood. I’m absolutely thrilled that Philadelphians responded with such joyful resistance to accompany their prayers that their votes would be counted and reported.

         In the midst of this joy, the four of us who were gathered from the Arch Street team delivered and distributed masks, hand sanitizer, and bottled water to people in the crowd so that they could protest while mitigating the potential spread of coronavirus. We wanted to make sure that they knew that the church honored their right to vote and  protest safely. And of course we made sure to contribute some dance moves, too. That evening, as a pastor friend from Florida funded a pizza delivery to the church, the four of us offered hand sanitizer and 22 pizzas to the crowd that was continuing to dance, connect, and express their desire that their votes would be counted. After all, those dancing mailboxes need fuel!

         The preparation, commitment, and resistance that I have witnessed during this election cycle shows me just how many people it takes to enact and defend voting rights. Where would we be without voting information from the City of Philadelphia and POWER? Where would we be without each and every one of my neighbors who cast their vote on election day? Where would we be without the activists who brought a message and dance moves to declare that every vote should be counted? How would I possibly witness this week without the Arch Street team? This doesn’t include the unseen poll workers and election officials who made this election logistically possible. The effort becomes monumental when I think about how many civil rights activists sacrificed so that my Black neighbors could cast their ballots.  It truly takes a village, or in this case, a whole city.