The year's PB Vote Week added new energy and engagement to the PB process. District 39's PB Youth Committee members spent the week volunteering at various poll sites, attending PB events, and promoting PB online.
Vote Week kicked off with an event at Grad Army Plaza on Saturday, March 23rd. A weekend of preliminary poll sites was followed by a rallying Get Organized BK meeting at Congregation Beth Elohim on Monday, March 25th. Council Member Lander welcomed Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Assemblyman Robert Carroll to the stage, as well as two out-of-town city council members, Greg Casar and Helen Gym, to speak to the importance of local democracy and contuning to push for progressive policies in the face of frustrating federal politics. The meeting culminated in seminars on a range of topics relating to social justice and activism. Committee members facilitated voting after the seminars, providing a unique action for meeting participants to take after empowering dialogues on political engagement.
"The neighborhood benefits not only from the [PB] projects, but also from the ability of everyone to meaningfully contribute, which was on full display at the voting sites," says Paul Broderick, who volunteered at the ChiPS shelter.
Chris Stauffer attended the first major event of Vote Week in District 39, the PB Expo, on Wednesday, March 25th to help organize voting. Projects were displayed in science fair-like fashion with colorful presentation boards to attract potential voters and show district residents what project implementation would look like. "The PB expo tonight was an amazing experience! Throughout the entire night, all of the project leaders presented their projects, and around 100 people voted, including many teenagers," recalls Chris.
Vote Weekend culminated in an action-packed weekend of pop-up voting. Ilana Cohen and Eliza Callahan spent Saturday at the Park Slope Library, where they welcomed visitors with PB ballots and voter affidavits in hand. By coincidence, the library was holding a book sale that day, which garnered not only a greater number of voters, but also a broader age-range of voters. The committee members were glad to see students their own age partaking in the process.
"Volunteering for PB Vote Week was a great way for me to become involved in my local community and get to know my neighbors and their concerns," explains Eliza.
"The best part about running the PB poll site was seeing people who were new to PB vote for the first time. Some people were unsure of whether they lived in the district or not and who their city council member was but even so, they took the time to learn about the PB process and cast their ballot," recalls Ilana Cohen. "That type of civic engagement is unique to local democracy, and it's a reminder that the power of voting--of having a voice--is not confined to federal politics."
"The vote engages not only those who come out specifically to vote, but also people who have never even heard of PB," adds Paul.
Ahnaf Bin Mahbub volunteered at P.S. 230. He says he had a great experience: "I was able to meet new people in my community and understand the different perspectives residents have about the neighborhood."
"We got a good amount of people to vote--we used up our ballots," says Claire, who did pop up voting at Greenwood Park. "I was also surprised to see the amount of people who said they had already voted online. And [many] had head of PB...whether they already voted online or had been meaning to get to it and were grateful we gave them the chance!"
The members are eager to continue their work in the next PB cycle and expand the committee's membership. Many are reflecting upon this year's GOTV efforts and considering potential improvements for the next PB cycle.
"PB was a great new experience. It really opened my eyes up to what I could do to contribute to my community through local government," says Lara Schuman. "I hope to become more involved next year in spreading the word about PB."
Check out the gallery below from Vote Week:
Park Slope Library
