skip to Main Content

What experience and/or personal background qualifies you to hold this office? If elected, what would be your top three policy goals for this office?

I am running for this office as a member of the community, not politically connected, but as someone who volunteers to get out the vote, for candidates and for issues that affect me and my community. After graduating George Washington University where I wrote my thesis on voting participation – I became an education policy lobbyist for bilingual and migrant students. I am proud to have worked on the original iteration of the DREAM Act. I continued my career in education, communications, and marketing, to be an editor for a health care information company.

As City Commissioner my top three policy goals center around communication and education, as my career has.

  1. Voter Outreach and Education – Talking with voters, there is a huge opportunity for basic education and outreach to improve voter turnout. I have met teens who think the voting age is 21, and voters who don’t know we vote twice a year, every year in this city. Increasing visibility of the City Commissioners’ office would lead to great voter participation.
  2. Improved Training for election workers – poll workers share their complaints – training is far from comprehensive and the days are too long. I want to make sure that our training is comprehensive – especially with the new technology – so that election workers understand how things work, and our elections run smoothly.
  3. Communication – Most Philadelphians do not know that the City Commissioners exist. I want to change that, through simple changes like website improvement. It currently takes too many clicks to find information. As Commissioner, I will be out in the community so that everyone knows the office.

Philadelphia is the only municipality in the country with three elected officials who do nothing but oversee elections. Additionally, City Commissioners seeking re-election do not perform most of their duties one year out of every four. If you were to design an optimal election apparatus from scratch, what would it look like and why?

This is one of the reasons I am running for City Commissioner. I find that the current system does not work for voters. As this would be my full-time job, I will be in the office, or in the community, working to improve voter education and outreach. I do think this apparatus works better with elected officials as opposed to appointed, which would exacerbate the problem of a patronage job, but changes are necessary to make sure that the elected officials show up. I would work with the ward leaders and committee members, but spend much of my time and resources in the wards that don’t have the highest turnout. We need all communities to understand the importance of showing up to the polls, so that all voices in the city are equally represented.

Given that young people are the largest subset of the electorate with the lowest turnout, what is your plan for engaging the next generation of Philadelphia voters? What programs would you pursue to facilitate increased electoral participation and remove any barriers for under-voting groups?

We need to start with the pre-voter. Philadelphia public schools are closed on Election Days, but we are missing opportunities to have students involved in elections. As City Commissioner, I will get out of the office and into community groups, discussing voting. I also will partner with the Office of Adult Education to ensure that low-literacy adults – a huge population in this city – to assist in a civic literacy so that they are not left behind in the process.

What role, if any, do you believe City Commissioners play in educating the public about voting issues and the electoral process?

I believe this is the primary role of City Commissioners, and it should be the full-time focus, not just a few weeks before an election but throughout the year. City Commissioners should be at ever major event and community group in the city, registering voters, education people on the absentee ballot process, and making sure Philadelphia knows we vote twice a year, every year.

What do you believe are the most serious issues plaguing Philadelphia polling places on Election Day and what plan would you propose to resolve these issues?

The biggest issue is recruiting enough election workers, and providing adequate training, so that mistakes are resolved quickly, everyone knows how the machines (and provisional ballots) function, and that every polling place is staffed to handle the expected turnout.

Do you believe that any updates or improvements to Philadelphia electoral rules, such as early or mail-in voting, could facilitate greater electoral participation? If so, what changes would you like to see and what would you do to implement such changes?

While many of these issues are state controlled, I think early voting and no excuse absentee ballots would make a positive impact on voter turnout. Our absentee ballot process is too early, and filing an emergency absentee ballot is too cumbersome. Early voting would also allow for more voters to cast ballots on a schedule that works for them. I also think same-day registration would help increase voter participation across the city, and I would work with City Council to pass legislation to allow workers a two- to three-hour shift flexibility on Election Day, as many jurisdictions already do. Employees can start late, or leave early, to vote.

Critical to a functional and efficient Election Day experience is the presence of trained and well-informed poll workers. What would you do to improve the pipeline of qualified workers for Philadelphia polling places? What, if any, changes would you make to the current training program or other aspects of the job (e.g., half-day shifts) for poll workers?

The current training program will need overhauled due to the new machines and it needs to be more that a 15-minute power point. One Judge of Elections told me they were not given time to ask questions, and not trained on provisional ballots. The new voting machines means that everyone will need new, thorough training so that all election workers are comfortable with the machines.

We also need to improve recruitment of poll workers. This would be an ongoing campaign at community events, schools, and through the existing committee and ward system. With enough poll workers in every location, we would be able to offer half-day shifts.

Do you think the pros and cons of advocating for the purchase of new voting machines has been discussed and debated adequately with the public? If not, how would you have approached public education and debate on this issue differently?

The process of selecting new machines was not transparent enough. The process was rushed, the public brought in to comment at the last moments – with not enough communication about public hearings – and the process moved along despite state and local concerns. As City Commissioner, I want communication with voters to be the first priority, not an afterthought. Any choice will have its detractors, but it the public is part of the process, at least their can be confidence in the system.

What, if any, system do you think should be implemented to improve registered voter check-in systems on Election Day? What would your plan be to implement an improved system and on what timeline? Finally, if your plan involves the purchase of an electronic system, how do you believe that the security of the voter registration list can be maintained?

With the new voting machines, the City Commissioners have purchased electronic poll books. The benefits supposedly include easier on-site voter registration, for when that is legally allowed, and quicker check-in on Election Day. I have qualms about the system, and the security. However, my biggest concern for these machines is with the poll workers who will have another technological change to the day to contend with. We cannot assume every poll worker is comfortable with new technologies, and training will have to include voter check-in systems, as well as how to troubleshoot on the spot. Ideally, we will be past the learning curve of the new voting machines before introducing electronic poll books.

What actions would you take to ensure that the office of the Commissioners is fully transparent in its decision-making? What would you do to ensure that the public has full access to decisions made by the Commissioners?

I fully believe the City Commissioners office can be much more transparent, especially in its decision making. Information coming from the office is minimal, and irregular. I would implement a greater communication output – through weekly newsletters, both online and printed, and early notification of major issues that come through the office. I want the City Commissioners to be open to the public – not just those who come into City Hall, but public outreach sessions. I would not allow the office to spend tens of millions of dollars behind closed doors like we just saw.

Given that the issues facing polling places and poll workers are often governed by state law, what changes would you advocate for in Harrisburg to improve the efficiency of Philly’s polling places?

As a former lobbyist, I understand that coalitions get a lot more accomplished than one. I know we are not the only jurisdiction in the state facing issues on Election Day, and we can partner with other cities to make sure that Harrisburg listens (especially as they are unaccustomed to listen to just Philadelphia).

How do you think resources (including staff and budget) and duties should be divided among the three Commissioners?

The three Commissioners should be working as a team to improve all things voting and election-related. Ideally, the office staff and budget would be organized by function – education, outreach, training, recruitment. Dividing resources between Commissioners leads to duplicated efforts or missed opportunities.