City Commissioners opened seven satellite election offices for early voting on Tuesday, September 29th, including the first bilingual site in Philadelphia at the Julia De Burgos School, 4th Street & Lehigh Avenue.
Councilperson Maria Quiñones Sánchez held a press conference outside of the school prior to casting her vote there. “We are here today to talk about some of the most pressing issues facing Black and Brown communities in the City of Philadelphia,” said Sanchez as she opened her remarks.
She was joined by other elected officials, community activists, and religious leaders who encouraged all Philadelphians to get more civically engaged, including educating themselves about voting options available during this election, filling out the U.S. Census, and utilizing resources available to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
City Commissioner Lisa Deeley said that seven sites opened on Tuesday, but the system was down which delayed voting at the expected starting time. “The City Commissioners are so excited to offer Philadelphians all these opportunities to participate and to be a voter, and we know likewise, voters are excited to vote,” she said. “We just ask that you recognize that this is the first day and be to patient as we do our best to get this off the ground.”
Ten additional early-voting election sites are being opened in the city.
If you haven’t applied for a mail-in ballot yet, these locations offer the opportunity to apply to vote by mail, and deposit it in the same location. If you have received a ballot in the mail, you can also drop your ballot at these locations.
Deeley gave instructions on how to assemble your voted-on ballot.
“You want to make sure that this voted ballot goes into the secrecy envelope,” said Deeley. The secrecy ballot then goes into the declaration envelope that the voter signs on the back. “But whatever you do, don’t forget your secrecy envelope. We cannot count ballots that come to us without the secrecy envelope.”
The voting system was up-and-running when the press conference ended, and Sanchez went inside to cast her vote.
“I was thrilled today to cast my ballot at Philadelphia’s fully bilingual first early voting site,” said Sanchez. “I want to encourage all Philadelphians to make a plan to vote and get educated about all of the various options at their disposal during this pandemic election.”
The sites are open seven days a week and will remain open through Election Day on November 3rd. They are open Monday through Thursday from 11:30 am to 6:30 pm, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
| # | Region | Location | Address | Zip | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Center City | City Hall Room 140 | 1400 John F Kennedy Blvd | 19107 | Open |
| 2 | Far Northeast | George Washington High School | 10175 Bustleton Ave | 19116 | Open |
| 3 | North | The Liacouras Center | 1776 N Broad St | 19121 | Open |
| 4 | Northwest | Roxborough High School | 6498 Ridge Ave | 19128 | Open |
| 5 | Southwest | Tilden Middle School | 6601 Elmwood Ave | 19142 | Open |
| 6 | Upper North | Julia De Burgos Elementary | 401 W Lehigh Ave | 19133 | Open |
| 7 | West | Overbrook Elementary School | 2032 N 62Nd St | 19151 | Open |
| 8 | South | Creative And Performing Arts | 901 S Broad St | 19147 | Open |
| 9 | Northwest | A. B. Day School | 6324 Crittenden St | 19138 | 10/13/2020 |
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