This podcast, part of the podcast series Bridging Our Divide, gave me a chance to talk about power, voting, identity politics and my experience in Philadelphia. Let me know what you think!
Thrown Off the Ballot After Four Years in Office
I can’t thank you enough for your attention to my re-election campaign this year. As disappointing as it was to be thrown off the ballot, I know that the campaign was not in vain. Nor were the four years in office.
For Philadelphia Voter Choice and Ballot Access
Yesterday a court ruling definitively silenced the voices of the one-thousand-plus Philadelphia Democrats who signed my nomination petition. The ruling also denied the rights of many thousands more to cast a regular vote
What Would My Hero Louis Brandeis Do?
My hero Louis Brandeis was a distinguished Supreme Court Justice from 1916 to 1939. Many people know his words: “Sunlight is the best of disinfectants”.
Challenging the Philadelphia City Commissioner Race
I have news. Marge Tartaglione’s daughter, Renee Tartaglione, has informed us she is going to challenge all the hard work I’ve done to clean up the City Commissioner’s office by running against me in next year’s primary.
Government Emails: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Save No Evil
When I took office as City Commissioner in 2012, my emails were archived automatically, as I expected. But since 2013 I have been unable to retrieve emails more than 50 days old. Emails deleted as a matter of course.
How Offering Free Voter Guides Increase Turnout
I have been fighting for this handbook, and this kind of voter-focused initiative, ever since I took office. Yesterday was a major victory for the voters. Thank you for your support, which makes this progress possible.
On Helping Loved Ones Request Absentee Ballots
Help the people you love push for the issues they care about by reminding them to request absentee ballots. Follow up by reminding them to vote and return the ballot.
A Summer Adventure Testing Store Voting Promotion
We brought registration forms and absentee ballot request forms. We asked the businesses to take a few, and to let us know when they ran out. We expected that we would have to sell the idea. We shouldn’t have been surprised by how thoughtful the business owners and managers were.
Why Returning Citizens Can and Should Vote in Pennsylvania
We couldn’t call ourselves a democracy if we disenfranchised 30% of Philadelphia’s adult citizens – more than one in every four. That’s how many “ex-offender”, “previously convicted”, “returning citizens” live in Philadelphia. Almost 300,000.