Guess how many of Philadelphia’s registered voters skipped the 2016 presidential election? Nearly 325,000! If fewer than one-quarter of these no-shows had participated, it’s likely that the election outcome in Pennsylvania would have been different.

It could get worse. Unless more Philadelphia voters get energized in 2018, engaged voters in the rest of Pennsylvania could elect candidates for governor and U.S. senator who are less interested in our city’s priorities than the incumbents, whose re-election is by no means guaranteed.

That’s why you should know what ward and division you live in and why you should become acquainted with your local committteepeople, all of whom will either be re-elected or replaced in the May 2018 primary election. By learning more about how to navigate our political geography on the most local level, you can help address one of Philadelphia’s most serious problems: Abysmally low voter turnout.

Please join me for “The Power of 22: Neighborhood Activism and Political Game-Changing in Northwest Philadelphia,” on Thursday, Sept. 14, to learn how activism at the ward-and-division level can increase voter turnout, help ensure that competent individuals are elected to public office and advance Philadelphia priorities effectively at the state and national levels. 

Although I will focus primarily on Democratic primary election results and on Northwest Philadelphia’s 22nd Ward, the presentation and discussion will be nonpartisan and will have value to members of other political parties, to voters with no party affiliation and to residents of both Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania suburbs.

Some background on me: My wife, 10-day-old son and I moved to Mt. Airy three decades ago. Before then, I was a two-term Democratic committeeman in West Philadelphia. I served as the city’s housing director during the Rendell administration and later ran as a reform candidate for Philadelphia sheriff. I’m a volunteer member of a capable Election Day team that manages polling-place activities at Summit Church, and I’ll be serving as judge of elections there starting with the May 2018 primary.

I hope you’ll join me for a discussion of an important challenge facing our neighborhoods. There couldn’t be a better time to consider how to make our democracy work effectively.