This issue of our weekly newsletter is dedicated to the Primary Election. Only a few days away, this election promises to be close in several critical races. That means your vote counts!
Whether you vote by mail or in person, please take a look at the PNN recommendations on candidates and ballot questions, as well as the voting information below to make sure they count your vote. You can also help our endorsed candidates by canvassing this Sunday or working at your polling location on Tuesday. Sign-ups are below.
Election Canvass this Sunday!
Sunday, May 15th, Noon, Lovett Library, 6945 Germantown Ave.
We're going to have a big day at the doors this weekend! We'll be canvassing in 10 divisions and talking to likely voters in support of Chris Rabb and our other endorsed candidates. We’ll also be working on behalf of our committee person candidates, all of whom will be joining us at the doors. (Some of you will be buddied-up with them).
Your contribution of time talking to our neighbors will be the difference in what promises to be a challenging race for Chris Rabb. He's counting on people like us to get him a win on Election Day. Rep Rabb and Senate candidate Malcolm Kenyatta plan to join us before we head to the doors.
We will pair you with other canvassers, go over the script together, and get your team set up on the MiniVAN phone app that will help you navigate your turf. (If you don't know MiniVAN, no worries - we'll pair you up with someone who does!)
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Want to Help on Election Day?
Sign-up for a shift at your polling location - 7-10AM, 11AM-3PM and 5-8PM.
Being present at the polls, talking with neighbors and handing out literature is one of the most effective election day tactics. Many folks actually arrive at the polls still undecided about one or more candidates – so we can help them make up their minds just as they enter the polls. We are focusing on Chris Rabb in a contested race in the 200th PA District. Here's a link to sign up to volunteer at the Polls on Tuesday.
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Endorsements & Recommendations
Philly Neighborhood Networks endorsed a slate of progressive candidates for the Primary 2022 and made recommendations on the four ballot questions. Endorsements are based upon a written questionnaire, an interview, research, and then a vote by our members. Our ballot recommendations are based upon research and vote by the Steering Committee. Please consider our endorsements as you vote.
VOTE BY MAIL
It's too late to apply for a Mail Ballot – deadline was May 10th
Mail ballot must be RECEIVED BY COUNTY BOARD OF ELECTIONS BEFORE 8 PM ON ELECTION DAY
It’s too late to put your ballot in the mail. Here are your safest options now:
Personally deliver to Phila. County Board of Elections, City Hall Room 140 (you can apply for a ballot, receive, and return it at the same time)
Surrender your entire mail ballot (including outside envelope) at polling location to be destroyed so that you can vote on the machine
VOTE IN PERSON, May 17th Tuesday, 7 AM – 8PM
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Candidate Debate: HD194 - Pam DeLissio vs. Tarik Kahn
Friday, May 13th, 7PM, 5800 Ridge Ave.
If you're not sure who to vote for yet in the newly drawn House District that covers all or parts of Roxborough, Manayunk, Chestnut Hill, East Falls, Andorra, Shawmont and Wissahickon, then you have an opportunity to see the candidates in person. (Full disclosure: PNN has proudly endorsed Tarik Kahn.)
The debate will be moderated by the League of Women Voters and will be held at Roxborough Memorial Hospital at the Wolcoff Auditorium. Parking is available on Jamestown St and the debate is free. Masks are required.
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Philly Talks Trash Series: Incineration
Thursday, May 19th, 6:30PM, Virtual
Join us for our May 19th Philly Talks Trash program, "Incineration: Why Philly Needs to Stop Sending Our Trash to Chester", with area leaders who are fighting the Covanta trash incinerator on a variety of fronts.
Trash incineration is the most expensive and polluting way to manage waste or to make energy, and it spreads toxic chemicals and ash into the groundwater and air, putting nearby communities at constant risk. Chester, PA, a small poor city just southwest of Philadelphia, is where more than 45% of our city’s trash ends up in the Covanta trash incinerator.
Mike Ewall, founder of Energy Justice Network will be our featured speaker, followed by panelists Zulene Mayfield, activist and community leader with Chester Residents Concerned for Quality Living (CRCQL) and Eileen Flanagan, author and activist leader with Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT).
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We're Looking for Organizers. We are currently accepting resumes for Organizing Staff (full/part) on Contingency Funding for c3/c4 electoral and community work. Send your interest to tim@phillynn.org
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This Week in History
May 13, 1985 – MOVE Raid. Philadelphia Police evacuated Osage Ave. in preparation for a raid against MOVE HQ that ended up burning down the entire block and leaving 11 people dead.
May 17, 1954 – Brown v. Board of Ed. In a major civil rights victory, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down an unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ruling that racial segregation in public educational facilities is unconstitutional.
Thanks for your activism!
Tim Brown, Organizing Director