DJs At The Polls Brings Joy To Election Day
Imagine going to vote on Election Day and seeing the Cha Cha slide outside of your local polling place. It’s a likely reality this Election due to the efforts of DJs At The Polls.
Imagine going to vote on Election Day and seeing the Cha Cha slide outside of your local polling place. It’s a likely reality this Election due to the efforts of DJs At The Polls. DJs at the Polls is a nonpartisan organization that recruits local DJs to perform sets at polling places in their own hometowns.
It’s already a successful initiative. Anton Moore, founder and co-director of DJ At The Polls shared how successful. “It is an initiative that's going on in 11 battleground states. We recruited 4000 DJs from neighborhoods that they actually live in. We compensate $500 a shift to get the word out about voting. We are at polling locations for Election Day, and will be at 8,500 polling locations.”
While the initiative itself brings fun to Election Day, Moore is clear that this initiative is very serious. “This election is important,” Moore says. “We’re talking about gun violence. We're talking about maternal mortality. We're talking about programs that help less fortunate families in our neighborhoods. We have to wake up. We can't sit this one out.”
Moore also reminded us that Election Day is not about getting individuals to the polls but engaging entire communities as well. “Some people say, “Oh, I don't know what I'm voting for.” Listen, you need to get involved, you know what's gonna do!” said Moore. “This is no time to play. They put that nonsense on social media, you come back with facts.”
Just like with every election, the stakes are high. However, in this particular election, Moore called for a focus on who is most vulnerable in our communities depending upon the election’s outcome. “Young kids. Their lives are at risk. They are talking about stopping student loans, (raising) the retirement age, stopping food stamps, public housing. We have to look at those things and see who it affects.”
Moore then pivoted to address the proverbial elephant in the room, Black male civic engagement. Despite overwhelming historical data and recent research that shows that Black men are some of the most active and reliable groups of voters, the myth that Black men are not engaged civically pervades. “There is this myth out there that Black men are not voting,” laughs Moore. “We coming! We are going to be there early and some of us already voted. So don't buy into that myth. We're gonna be there on November 5th. In fact, some of us are already there!”
Moore’s final charge goes back to our own families and loved ones. “Your family members; your mother, father, sister, brother, cousin, whoever you want to call them, make a phone call them. Tell them they need to be there on November 5th. Lives are at stake.”