The Philadelphia City Commissioners office agreed to place Mobile Staffed Ballot Drop-off boxes at the Julia De Burgos Elementary School, 401 W. Lehigh Ave, the first two Saturdays and Sundays, in May, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, in response to Ceiba’s request for equal access to drop-off boxes for the predominantly Spanish speaking community of Philadelphia.
«We welcome the Pop-Up Mail-In Ballot Drop Boxes at the Julia De Burgos Elementary School. Ensuring that people in the heart of the predominantly Spanish speaking Latino neighborhoods of Eastern North Philadelphia gain access to official mail-in ballot droboxes is important as Latinos in Philadelphia are the largest Limited English Proficient community in the city and Spanish speakers are covered under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act», said Will Gonzalez, Esq., Executive Director of Ceiba.
Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act requires that all materials related to voting be in the language of a language minority group if that group has over 10,000 people or over 5 percent of the total voting age population in a jurisdiction. In Pennsylvania, three counties meet that requirement for Spanish speakers: Philadelphia, Berks and Lehigh.
«We were seeking a more permanent solution, 24-hour, seven-days per week, fixed drop boxes. Unfortunately, the City Commissioners could not get that done in time for the May 2023 election. However, they committed to the Pop-Up Mail-In Ballot Drop Boxes at the Julia De Burgos Elementary School and have promised to open a satellite City Commissioners office in the Latino community for the November 2023 election», added Gonzalez.
For more information about the location of all Mobile Staffed Ballot Drop-off boxes and fixed 24/7 Ballot Drop-off sites in Philadelphia, visit: https://vote.phila.gov
«All elections are important, but this Municipal election is a great opportunity to make your voice heard at the local level, on issues that affect you directly. If you can vote, turn out. If you aren’t eligible to vote yet, encourage others to vote“, said Marcos Lomeli, Ceiba’s Program Director referring to the chance to elect Philadelphia’s next, mayor, all of its city council members, the Sheriff, Judges, and other positions of city government.
Ceiba is also working closely with the National Association of Latino Appointed and Elected Officials (NALEO) to make the community aware of the 1-888 VE-Y-VOTA (1-888-839-8682) Hotline. The toll-free hotline answers questions about voting; helps voters find out their registration status; locate their polling place; and report any problems they may have at the polls on election day.
