WEBVTT - Vote 76 Rountable (Vote 76 Week) 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.640 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:10.920 search seventy Sixers Podcast wherever you get your pods. Tis 0:00:10.960 --> 0:00:13.760 the season to exercise one of your most important rights 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:18.040 as an American voting, and the seventy Sixers are committed 0:00:18.079 --> 0:00:20.560 to doing whatever they can to make sure all of 0:00:20.560 --> 0:00:23.800 their fans are planning to do just that. We obviously 0:00:23.920 --> 0:00:26.159 have a large fan base. We're a Philadelphia brand. We 0:00:26.239 --> 0:00:28.480 care a lot about the city. We know that voting 0:00:28.600 --> 0:00:30.159 is one of the most important things we can do 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:32.320 in our democracy, and so anyway that we can help 0:00:32.520 --> 0:00:34.640 get the word out about how to vote, we absolutely 0:00:34.640 --> 0:00:37.600 want to do that this election cycle. There's no shortage 0:00:37.680 --> 0:00:40.480 of critical issues. You have lots of options this year, 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:43.120 and we've loved for everyone to take advantage of all 0:00:43.120 --> 0:00:45.080 of the new and convenient ways that you can cast 0:00:45.080 --> 0:00:48.360 your ballot. This year, we are motivated to get young 0:00:48.360 --> 0:00:50.720 people registered to vote. We know that it's often an 0:00:50.760 --> 0:00:54.160 overlooked block of voters, but can often use some guidance 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.600 on how to engage more civically, and we want to 0:00:56.600 --> 0:01:01.200 make that easier. Artists, producers, labelheads. Our platform is so 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:04.640 big and we're so influential in the inner communities because 0:01:04.640 --> 0:01:08.120 we come from that, so us bringing awareness, We'll make 0:01:08.160 --> 0:01:11.000 it a cool thing. I'm Brian Seltzer and for National 0:01:11.080 --> 0:01:14.280 Voter Education Week, we're joined by an awesome panel that's 0:01:14.280 --> 0:01:18.039 come together with one simple mission in mind, and that 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:21.639 is to get out the vote. This is a Vote 0:01:21.720 --> 0:01:25.640 seventy six Roundtable special the seventy six Ers Podcast Network. 0:01:29.600 --> 0:01:32.800 Not only is it National Voter Education Week, it has 0:01:32.840 --> 0:01:35.520 also Vote seventy six Week here on the seventy six 0:01:35.600 --> 0:01:39.320 Ers Podcast Network. The roundtable you are about to hear 0:01:39.480 --> 0:01:42.800 is the second part of three installments in our Vote 0:01:42.840 --> 0:01:45.720 seventy six mini series. You definitely should check out and 0:01:45.760 --> 0:01:50.120 listen to a great conversation between the Man, Tom McGinnis 0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:55.160 and another fantastic human being, legendary former ref Philadelphia native 0:01:55.440 --> 0:01:58.440 Joey Crawford. He's got a great backstory as to why 0:01:58.480 --> 0:02:02.040 he felt in spy and moved to launch his own 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:05.440 get out the Vote initiative this year. We've also got 0:02:05.480 --> 0:02:08.600 an episode in the work set to drop on October thirteenth, 0:02:08.600 --> 0:02:12.320 that features doc rivers Matisse Thybel and Kyle O'Quinn sharing 0:02:12.360 --> 0:02:15.600 their thoughts on the significance of voting, especially in this 0:02:15.639 --> 0:02:18.799 election year. For this roundtable, though, I wanted to bring 0:02:18.840 --> 0:02:21.760 on a group of panels who are all connected in 0:02:21.800 --> 0:02:24.320 some way, shape or form to the seventy six ers 0:02:24.440 --> 0:02:28.720 Vote seventy six platform. For more information any details on 0:02:28.880 --> 0:02:32.160 resources you can use ahead of November the third, just 0:02:32.400 --> 0:02:36.360 visit sixers dot com slash vote seventy six. All right, 0:02:36.639 --> 0:02:40.880 Rather than introduce our four panelists myself, I'm going to 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:43.640 let them do the heavy lifting, so I don't watch 0:02:43.720 --> 0:02:47.840 any pronunciations or titles or affiliations, and also give you 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.560 an opportunity to become familiar with the sound of their 0:02:50.639 --> 0:02:53.600 voice over the next twenty five minutes. So here we go. 0:02:53.840 --> 0:02:59.760 Are excellent, esteemed most helpful roundtable. Hi, I'm Eric Devon. 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:04.320 I am here representing the Anti Defamation League of Philadelphia's 0:03:04.520 --> 0:03:11.079 Associate Board, and I'm a local psychiatrist in the Philadelphia area. 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:14.160 Here to speak about the our time our vote initiative 0:03:14.320 --> 0:03:19.520 between the ad L Philadelphia and Urban League Him Thanks 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:23.000 for having me. I'm Rachel Boss. I'm with the Pennsylvania 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:26.520 Department of State and I'm here on behalf of the 0:03:26.560 --> 0:03:29.960 Bureau of Campaign Finance and Civic Engagement. I oversee our 0:03:30.040 --> 0:03:34.520 vote or outreach and education efforts this year. So it's 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:39.480 all ready to vote outreach efforts. I'm Jo Little Beats 0:03:41.120 --> 0:03:46.200 Rod Nation music producer, Grammy Award winner. I'm representing the 0:03:46.320 --> 0:03:50.600 Urban League of Philadelphia David Gold, Chief Impact and Diversity 0:03:50.600 --> 0:03:54.520 Officer for the seventy sixes. I'm working close with our 0:03:54.560 --> 0:03:56.880 team here at the sixes on our vote seven six initiatives. 0:03:57.320 --> 0:04:01.440 Let's start guys with something really, Why it is National 0:04:01.560 --> 0:04:05.840 Voter Education Week. What role do you feel you, the 0:04:05.960 --> 0:04:10.600 organizations you represent, your platforms have in simply getting out 0:04:10.640 --> 0:04:13.760 the vote. Why don't we start with Jalil. Yeah, So 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:18.440 I've actually started, um the day before yesterday. Um, I've 0:04:18.480 --> 0:04:22.640 had the city I'm from. I'm from Chester, PA. So, um, 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:25.000 you know, I partnered up with the Urban League. I'm 0:04:25.000 --> 0:04:29.200 actually on the board of the Urban League Philadelphia, and um, 0:04:29.240 --> 0:04:31.279 you know I used my sneaker store. I have the 0:04:31.360 --> 0:04:36.080 first signature DTLR Downtown Locker Room in downtown CHESTERPA. So 0:04:36.560 --> 0:04:39.400 just using that as a hub and a facility to 0:04:39.440 --> 0:04:41.840 come uh and vote, you know what I mean. So 0:04:42.040 --> 0:04:46.200 it was a great turnout and just creating opportunities form 0:04:46.480 --> 0:04:49.080 the inner city to vote. And that's my that's the 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:51.760 that's the most important thing for me, and um, that's 0:04:51.760 --> 0:04:53.880 what we've been able to do, and we're trying to 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.000 open up at least three more locations in the city 0:04:56.000 --> 0:05:01.599 of Chester. Tremendous. That's awesome, Rachel, what do you um? So, 0:05:01.720 --> 0:05:06.000 the Pennsylvania Department of State is the state agency that 0:05:06.160 --> 0:05:10.320 is tasked with overseeing elections around the commonwealth. So we 0:05:10.440 --> 0:05:15.000 have been hard at work making sure that we're implementing 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:19.120 our new u election reform laws that went into effect 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:21.520 at the end of twenty nineteen and in the beginning 0:05:21.520 --> 0:05:25.200 of twenty twenty. So basically, we're working to make sure 0:05:25.360 --> 0:05:28.240 that if you turn out to vote, that that's going 0:05:28.279 --> 0:05:31.000 to happen smoothly, um, and that you have lots of 0:05:31.000 --> 0:05:35.320 options this year and implementing all of those options. So, UM, 0:05:35.440 --> 0:05:37.960 we'd love for everyone to take advantage of all of 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:40.000 the new and convenient ways that you can cast your 0:05:40.000 --> 0:05:44.960 ballot this year. Eric. So, Um, I'm here you know, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:48.279 representing the the ADL Philadelphia and the partnership with the 0:05:48.400 --> 0:05:51.800 with Urban Ling our Time, our Vote initiative, and um, 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:55.760 we are motivated to get young people registered to vote 0:05:55.839 --> 0:05:58.520 and excited about voting. We know that it's often in 0:05:59.360 --> 0:06:03.560 an over block of voters that cares a lot about 0:06:03.600 --> 0:06:06.919 the issues, but um can often use some guidance and 0:06:06.960 --> 0:06:09.800 how to engage more civically, and we want to make 0:06:09.800 --> 0:06:12.560 that easier. Get the information out and have a place 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:16.720 for people to go and access information, register to vote, 0:06:16.720 --> 0:06:19.120 and do all all the things that they can do 0:06:19.240 --> 0:06:21.919 to to have their voices be heard. And David, this 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.720 all of course is happening under the umbrel at least 0:06:24.800 --> 0:06:28.159 in this form of the seventy six ers Vote seventy 0:06:28.160 --> 0:06:31.560 six initiative. From where you sit, why was it critical 0:06:31.600 --> 0:06:34.880 for the organization to get involved in helping spread the 0:06:34.880 --> 0:06:37.160 word in terms of getting out the vote. Yeah, I 0:06:37.200 --> 0:06:40.520 mean I think we uh, you know, we this is 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:42.320 this is work that you know, our partners at the 0:06:42.320 --> 0:06:45.520 ADL and the Department of State and an Urban League 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:49.520 to engage in on an ongoing basis, even when we're 0:06:49.560 --> 0:06:51.680 not in the midst of a presidential election. I think 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:54.240 what we have the opportunity to do at the Sixers 0:06:54.279 --> 0:06:57.880 is make sure that we can amplify the important messages 0:06:57.920 --> 0:07:00.599 and information that all of our partner to have around 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:05.400 how to vote safely and securely this election so you know, 0:07:05.440 --> 0:07:08.760 we obviously have a large fan base. We're Philadelphia brand. 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:10.600 We care a lot about the city. We know that 0:07:11.000 --> 0:07:13.240 voting is one of the most important things we can 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.280 do in our democracy, and so anyway that we can 0:07:15.320 --> 0:07:18.120 help get the word out about how to vote and 0:07:18.160 --> 0:07:20.480 amplify the message of our partners, we absolutely want to 0:07:20.520 --> 0:07:23.240 do that. Of course, there's this one aspect of it 0:07:23.280 --> 0:07:26.679 where voting is you're right, it's a right that people 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:29.840 have fought for over years for everyone to have. But 0:07:29.880 --> 0:07:32.120 then there's this other part of it where it's it's 0:07:32.200 --> 0:07:34.520 kind of like your duty too, isn't it. And I'm 0:07:34.560 --> 0:07:36.720 sure that there's a part of you that wants people 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:39.480 to feel that empowerment in going out to try and 0:07:39.880 --> 0:07:42.280 bring about whatever change it is they want to see 0:07:42.280 --> 0:07:48.000 in their local communities, their state, country, the world. Right. Yeah, 0:07:48.120 --> 0:07:50.400 I think that is very important. I mean, you look 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:52.760 at the history. I mean, I mean, being a black 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:56.760 man in America, we've been, you know, fighting for so 0:07:56.840 --> 0:07:59.480 long to kind of get that equal vote. So now 0:07:59.520 --> 0:08:01.960 that we had that equal vote, it's important to kind 0:08:02.000 --> 0:08:05.280 of bring that awareness. I think that my generation kinds 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:07.960 of forgets what's the most important thing, you know, what 0:08:07.960 --> 0:08:11.560 I mean when we talk about affordable healthcare, affordable housing, 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:15.280 funding for school and even now what's going on in 0:08:15.320 --> 0:08:18.720 the world with justice reform and all that we have 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:20.560 the voice, you know, I mean, we fall for this, 0:08:20.640 --> 0:08:23.360 and I think that we need to understand that, you know, 0:08:23.600 --> 0:08:26.000 we fought for this. So let's try to take this 0:08:26.160 --> 0:08:29.040 and take advantage of this and actually get out there 0:08:29.080 --> 0:08:32.280 and vote, because you know, just what's going on in 0:08:32.280 --> 0:08:35.000 the world, a lot of I mean, even speaking for 0:08:35.040 --> 0:08:37.520 black people, a lot of people are very discouraged of 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:41.480 you know, their vote not even matter. We still have 0:08:41.559 --> 0:08:44.080 to get out there and try to make a change. Rachel, 0:08:44.240 --> 0:08:45.920 I feel like and correct me if I'm wrong, if 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:48.120 this is a question that shouldn't be steered your direction. 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.080 So it sounds like in your role, it's about making 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:55.240 sure that people don't feel that there are barriers to vote. Correct, 0:08:55.280 --> 0:08:57.560 And what are some of the things that you guys 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:00.520 from a state government level, are trying to ensure that 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:02.679 people if they want to get out and vote. I mean, 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:06.480 especially in the world that we're living in now, how 0:09:06.520 --> 0:09:08.480 different voting is going to be in this election cycle, 0:09:08.480 --> 0:09:09.840 and making sure that if you want to vote and 0:09:09.880 --> 0:09:13.520 you are registered to vote that you can vote, Yeah, absolutely, 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:17.320 I mean this year is different for voters in Pennsylvania. 0:09:17.360 --> 0:09:22.359 And even before the COVID nineteen pandemic started, the Pennsylvania 0:09:22.440 --> 0:09:26.280 legislature passed reform bills that allowed for voting by mail 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:30.280 for all registered Pennsylvanians. So you now have three ways 0:09:30.280 --> 0:09:32.839 to vote. Essentially, you can vote a mail in or 0:09:32.880 --> 0:09:36.440 absentee ballot by mail, you can go in person to 0:09:36.520 --> 0:09:39.920 your county election office or a satellite office to vote 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:43.400 that mail in or absentee ballot over the counter, or 0:09:43.440 --> 0:09:47.480 you can vote in person on election day. So voting 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:50.240 is absolutely a right that we should all exercise, and 0:09:50.280 --> 0:09:53.640 we now have more opportunities in Pennsylvania than ever before 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:56.400 to do that. So I just want to make sure 0:09:56.400 --> 0:09:57.960 you know, we have the Department of State want to 0:09:58.000 --> 0:10:00.800 make sure that everyone knows about these different options and 0:10:00.880 --> 0:10:03.679 that they choose whichever option works for them, They make 0:10:03.720 --> 0:10:06.840 a plan, and that they follow through on that plan. Terrific. 0:10:06.840 --> 0:10:09.600 And again some key dates for anyone who's listening out 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:13.520 there in the local area. For Pennsylvania, registration deadline is 0:10:13.679 --> 0:10:18.760 October nineteenth, Delaware is October the tenth, and New Jersey 0:10:18.880 --> 0:10:22.560 is October the thirteenth. You know, it was interesting, Eric, 0:10:22.600 --> 0:10:27.160 because in what I do professionally, I don't even know 0:10:27.200 --> 0:10:29.439 if if it needs to fall into what you do professionally, 0:10:29.480 --> 0:10:34.720 but I'm constantly scrolling, like throughout the day, checking my timeline, 0:10:34.760 --> 0:10:37.160 whether it's on Twitter, Instagram, those sort of things, And 0:10:37.200 --> 0:10:41.800 you see this massive energy, all encompassing in terms of 0:10:41.840 --> 0:10:45.640 messaging this time of year, getting out the vote campaigns 0:10:45.640 --> 0:10:48.080 on either side trying to get their message out. So 0:10:48.120 --> 0:10:50.800 you would think inherently that given the space where this 0:10:50.880 --> 0:10:55.200 is happening, there is a lot of engagement among young people. 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:57.880 But it sounds like that's something that your organization is 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:00.800 really focused on making sure that I guess perhaps activity 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:04.040 you might see on social media and engagement there translates 0:11:04.080 --> 0:11:07.920 to action at the actual polls. Yeah, so we we've 0:11:08.320 --> 0:11:13.040 you know, started up a heavy handed uh digital campaign 0:11:13.679 --> 0:11:17.880 UM digital postcards, UM, social media tool kits and things 0:11:17.880 --> 0:11:20.559 like that to do exactly what you're talking about and 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:24.360 have a lot of activity online, but the key is 0:11:24.400 --> 0:11:28.480 translating that into into action at the polls and getting people, um, 0:11:28.720 --> 0:11:31.200 you know, to take that next step and you know, 0:11:31.280 --> 0:11:35.000 to piggyback on which Alil said is that it's it's 0:11:35.040 --> 0:11:37.400 not just about who's in the White House. It's it's 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:39.800 you look around you, and it's it's voting for the 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:41.800 people who are going to have impact on the schools 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:44.960 that your kids go to, on the roads, on policing, 0:11:44.960 --> 0:11:49.400 on prosecuting, public transit, local programs like job job training, 0:11:49.880 --> 0:11:52.560 UM and these are all things that people really care 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:54.800 deeply about in their everyday lives, and you can see 0:11:54.800 --> 0:11:56.840 it online and and we want to make sure that 0:11:56.880 --> 0:11:59.120 the information of how to turn that into a vote 0:11:59.200 --> 0:12:02.120 is easily access and available, and that people have a 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:04.559 plan and know what to do to make their vote count. 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.199 I'm going to start this with David Gold from the 0:12:07.240 --> 0:12:09.360 seventy six ers, and you can all feel free to 0:12:09.440 --> 0:12:11.880 chime in if you'd like and have had experience with it. 0:12:12.280 --> 0:12:14.840 But this seems at least compared to other years in 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:18.079 my lifetime, and I'm reminder the thirties that people from 0:12:18.120 --> 0:12:22.640 all walks of life this election cycle has their attention. 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:24.840 And on the seventy six ers side, we're seeing it 0:12:24.920 --> 0:12:29.440 from everyday employees to NBA All Stars and All league 0:12:29.440 --> 0:12:31.840 players who are getting involved. David, can you take us 0:12:31.880 --> 0:12:34.280 behind the scenes and how the organization has tried to 0:12:34.280 --> 0:12:36.600 work with some of its stars in terms of amplifying 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:39.720 messaging for getting out the vote. Yeah. I mean, I 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:43.760 think as a lot of folks have probably seen, voting 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:46.360 is definitely an initiative that our players have taken up. 0:12:47.280 --> 0:12:49.160 It's something that you know, our home players in terms 0:12:49.200 --> 0:12:53.200 of Kylo Quinn and Mtista will have personally spoke about. 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:55.559 We know that for the league as a whole, In 0:12:55.559 --> 0:12:59.000 the NBA Players Association, it's something they've really made an 0:12:59.000 --> 0:13:01.120 effort to do, not only to encourage others to vote, 0:13:01.120 --> 0:13:03.480 but also lead by example and making sure that I 0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:06.840 think Chris Paul came out with a m announcement yesterday. 0:13:06.880 --> 0:13:09.800 Think now ninety percent of the players are registered, which 0:13:10.040 --> 0:13:12.840 is great. UM. And you know, I think it's just 0:13:12.920 --> 0:13:15.360 really important that as a as a whole right now, 0:13:15.400 --> 0:13:18.800 as a league, as an organization, um Uh, there's just 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:22.280 a lot of attention on the importance of voting UM 0:13:22.480 --> 0:13:25.240 and that you know, I think Jalil said earlier that 0:13:25.960 --> 0:13:28.280 you know, some people feel like their vote, their vote 0:13:28.280 --> 0:13:31.880 doesn't really count, UM and regardless of who you're voting for. UM. 0:13:31.920 --> 0:13:34.600 In the last presidential election, there were a lot of 0:13:34.720 --> 0:13:38.760 states that were decided by you know, just a handful 0:13:38.800 --> 0:13:41.839 of thousand of votes. And um, I think Matise said 0:13:41.960 --> 0:13:44.320 in one of his videos that, um, I forget if 0:13:44.320 --> 0:13:46.600 it was Mattis or Kyle that, like, you know, one 0:13:46.600 --> 0:13:48.560 person can think that, you know, my vote doesn't count, 0:13:48.559 --> 0:13:50.000 so I'm not going to go to the polls. But 0:13:50.040 --> 0:13:51.920 then when you have a million people thinking that way, 0:13:52.120 --> 0:13:55.240 that's a million voices whose whose voices is not heard, 0:13:55.280 --> 0:13:57.760 and those have real implications in terms of what the 0:13:57.760 --> 0:14:00.360 outcome of an election is. So, UM, I think we 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:02.680 just have an opportunity right now, given all of the 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:06.040 conversation attention there is to this election, to really elevate 0:14:06.080 --> 0:14:08.920 the importance of voting, and not just for November third, 0:14:08.960 --> 0:14:12.440 but hopefully it's momentum that that sustains beyond this election 0:14:12.480 --> 0:14:14.720 cycle and beyond this year. Again, like, this is something 0:14:14.760 --> 0:14:17.760 that is going to be very important for our communities 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:20.120 wherever we may live. Um, we're putting people in office 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:23.320 who make decisions about you know, our lives, what resources 0:14:23.320 --> 0:14:26.640 go to our communities, decisions that are made that that 0:14:26.680 --> 0:14:29.440 will really impact all of us. So I think right 0:14:29.440 --> 0:14:32.960 now we're sort of at a we sort of have 0:14:33.040 --> 0:14:36.120 this swell of energy that hopefully we can sustain both 0:14:36.120 --> 0:14:39.320 for this election but also beyond Julia. We've kind of 0:14:39.320 --> 0:14:41.720 lived it, and I say we more so David and I. 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:44.640 On the sports level, just seeing how some of the 0:14:44.840 --> 0:14:47.520 athletes have been involved in trying to get out the vote. 0:14:47.560 --> 0:14:51.080 Take us inside the music industry. What's the enthusiasm been 0:14:51.120 --> 0:14:53.360 like there for getting out the vote? Yeah, I think 0:14:53.360 --> 0:14:56.720 it's more about the message and using social media platforms. 0:14:57.760 --> 0:15:00.200 I mean, you look at my partner, Meet Mill, He's 0:15:00.240 --> 0:15:03.760 been like going really hard as far as the social 0:15:03.800 --> 0:15:07.240 justice reform and all that, you know, working alongside about 0:15:07.400 --> 0:15:13.400 um Robert Kraft and um, um Jay Z and uh 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.280 and actually you know the Sixers and UM, you know, 0:15:16.400 --> 0:15:19.480 just getting I mean, our platform is so big and UM, 0:15:19.800 --> 0:15:23.920 we're so influential in uh, the inner communities because we 0:15:24.000 --> 0:15:28.520 come from that, so us bringing um, you know, awareness, 0:15:29.240 --> 0:15:32.040 Um whereas though you know it's well, we'll make it 0:15:32.080 --> 0:15:35.840 a cool thing, you know what I mean. UM, a 0:15:35.880 --> 0:15:40.000 lot of things that uh, you know the inner city 0:15:40.680 --> 0:15:43.840 look at um, outside of just hip hop and and 0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:48.560 maybe sports, they can't really relate to, so us trying 0:15:48.560 --> 0:15:52.480 to make voting a cool thing is the biggest importance 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:56.600 right now. So a lot of um, you know, artists, producers, 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:01.640 um label heads, everybody is trying to bring awareness. And 0:16:02.080 --> 0:16:04.600 I mean same thing with you know, with Pup Daddy 0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:07.600 p Diddy when he did the vote Vote or diet campaign. 0:16:08.440 --> 0:16:11.760 It's really just taking our platform and making it a 0:16:11.760 --> 0:16:15.200 cool thing to do, because right now, you know, it's 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:17.840 not looked at as a cool thing. Rachel, I gotta 0:16:17.840 --> 0:16:21.280 ask that working on the government level, do does the Commonwealth? 0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:23.560 It has to know, right the significance that it has, 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:25.680 because I'm just like saying from the outside, all you 0:16:25.680 --> 0:16:28.320 hear about is swing. This swing that in Pennsylvania is 0:16:28.360 --> 0:16:31.600 always a state that is mentioned. So I would have 0:16:31.680 --> 0:16:34.760 to think that also leans into how seriously you guys 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.520 take your position and making sure that these processes, especially 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:41.880 this year, can be as accessible and run as smoothly 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:46.000 as possible. That's absolutely right. I mean, we have really 0:16:46.040 --> 0:16:50.640 incredible teams here working on all facets of elections for 0:16:50.720 --> 0:16:55.080 everything from the security of our voting systems to you know, 0:16:55.160 --> 0:16:58.680 the outreach and engagement that I do, to working as 0:16:58.720 --> 0:17:02.160 liaisons with the cows who actually administer the elections at 0:17:02.200 --> 0:17:05.320 the local level. UM and all of these moving pieces 0:17:05.359 --> 0:17:08.199 really come together to make this UM, this kind of 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:14.160 complex puzzle of convenient, safe and secure elections in Pennsylvania. UM. 0:17:14.200 --> 0:17:17.040 And there's nothing you know, more important for for our 0:17:17.080 --> 0:17:20.280 team than making sure that UM that the election you know, 0:17:20.400 --> 0:17:23.879 runs smoothly and that everyone has the opportunity to vote. 0:17:24.280 --> 0:17:28.760 So UM, yeah, absolutely, it's our it's our top priority. UM. 0:17:28.960 --> 0:17:32.440 And just uh, you know, thinking about what what Jhalia 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:37.040 was sharing about, UM, people sharing messages on social media, 0:17:37.119 --> 0:17:40.640 people that are influential within their communities. UM, that's such 0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:44.560 an important piece of making sure that voters get UM 0:17:44.640 --> 0:17:47.320 the information that they need. Is sharing, is sharing good 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.919 and accurate information. You hear so much about disinformation that 0:17:51.000 --> 0:17:54.040 gets spread UM, and it gets spread so easily and quickly. 0:17:54.119 --> 0:17:57.320 So in order to support folks that really do have 0:17:57.400 --> 0:17:59.919 those these incredible platforms where they have a lot of 0:18:00.080 --> 0:18:02.680 viewers and a lot of followers, the Department of State 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:05.439 does make some materials available on our website. We have 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:07.679 ready to vote toolkit where you can go and just 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:11.320 like grab graphics, grab information. You can follow us on 0:18:11.320 --> 0:18:15.080 Facebook and Twitter and you know, reshare that information and 0:18:15.359 --> 0:18:18.240 you can always rest assured that you're getting trusted and 0:18:18.320 --> 0:18:22.280 accurate information about elections in Pennsylvania from the Pennsylvania Department 0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:24.479 of State, you know, And I just you don't want 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:27.720 to encourage everyone that has that power to make sure 0:18:27.800 --> 0:18:31.360 that you're getting your information from verified sources because you're 0:18:31.359 --> 0:18:34.440 looked to as a trusted members of your communities. And 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:39.640 what are those websites and handles, Rachel? Our main web 0:18:39.680 --> 0:18:45.480 page is votespa dot com. That's vot Eespa dot com. 0:18:45.520 --> 0:18:50.040 And you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Our 0:18:50.680 --> 0:18:54.400 Facebook handle is at PA Department of State and Twitter 0:18:54.560 --> 0:18:58.720 is PA State Department, but department is abbreviated, so it's 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:03.560 PA State d et excellent. You know. I'll be honest, 0:19:03.680 --> 0:19:07.400 I've in my life encountered very few obstacles in terms 0:19:07.440 --> 0:19:12.400 of access to education. But still I feel like at 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:16.360 times I could have been more informed about the issues 0:19:17.320 --> 0:19:20.280 that are on the ballot and keeping myself informed about 0:19:20.400 --> 0:19:24.639 candidates and people who might be, in terms of my ideology, 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:26.560 the best people to elect. So going back to I 0:19:26.560 --> 0:19:29.400 think Jalil you mentioned this, and it's this overarching theme 0:19:29.520 --> 0:19:33.280 is like the idea of making voting cool, making voting 0:19:33.280 --> 0:19:36.240 relatable to people. I just like would love to hear 0:19:36.240 --> 0:19:39.240 from each of you how you keep yourselves informed, because 0:19:39.280 --> 0:19:42.720 maybe it's not as big of an obstacle as some 0:19:42.760 --> 0:19:44.520 people might think. David, why don't we start with you 0:19:44.560 --> 0:19:47.600 and then we'll swing it around. Yeah. I think one 0:19:47.640 --> 0:19:50.200 thing that you know, Rachel had on, even though it 0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:52.919 is focused on the election process as opposed to candidates, 0:19:53.280 --> 0:19:56.200 is make sure you're getting your information from an accurate 0:19:56.200 --> 0:19:58.640 and valid source. I think one thing that's great about 0:19:58.720 --> 0:20:00.440 social media that I think we're all trying to take 0:20:00.440 --> 0:20:01.960 advantage of it is it's a great way to get 0:20:02.000 --> 0:20:05.280 information out to people. UM. The challenges and sometimes is 0:20:05.280 --> 0:20:07.480 a consumer of information. I know I've had this challenge. 0:20:07.680 --> 0:20:11.040 It's tough to know what is real and what is not, 0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:14.119 and what is accurate and what is not. So UM, 0:20:14.160 --> 0:20:16.439 you know, I try to, UM, I do try to, 0:20:16.480 --> 0:20:18.919 you know, stay up on the news. I try to 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:21.600 listen to candidates directly UM as opposed to you know, 0:20:21.640 --> 0:20:24.919 sort of hearing information filtered through through through other places. 0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:27.119 And then also I UM, you know, for me, there 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:29.639 are certain issues that I know are very important to me, 0:20:29.680 --> 0:20:32.280 and I know organizations that care about those issues, and 0:20:32.320 --> 0:20:35.600 I go to those organizations to inform me about, um, 0:20:35.880 --> 0:20:39.120 you know, which candidates are are supporting those those issues. Um, 0:20:39.160 --> 0:20:41.920 It's it's tough to to sort through all the information, 0:20:41.960 --> 0:20:44.440 it's tru it's tough to figure out what's what's fact 0:20:44.440 --> 0:20:47.119 and what's fiction. So if you're going to organizations that 0:20:47.200 --> 0:20:48.920 you don't care about the things that you care about, 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:51.320 I think that's the best way to get a good 0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:55.159 understanding of it. Yeah, I agree with that. Um, the 0:20:55.240 --> 0:20:59.800 most important thing is actually following an accurate source. So 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:03.679 just um, you know, speaking for myself, me being on 0:21:03.680 --> 0:21:07.760 a board of the Urban League, I'm always um, hit Tom, 0:21:07.920 --> 0:21:10.400 what's going on on a political side on both ends. 0:21:10.800 --> 0:21:13.760 So just the most important thing to me is having 0:21:13.800 --> 0:21:17.880 an accurate source and reading of one. Yeah. I think 0:21:17.920 --> 0:21:19.720 I just will chime in and say, you know, I 0:21:19.760 --> 0:21:22.200 think that that's like I agree with everything that's been 0:21:22.240 --> 0:21:25.560 said about you know, choosing your trusted sources of information 0:21:26.920 --> 0:21:29.480 and being say consumer, we all have to be at 0:21:29.480 --> 0:21:33.040 this point of news information. Yeah, I think that that 0:21:33.119 --> 0:21:35.439 pretty much underscores it is you you have to know 0:21:35.480 --> 0:21:38.040 what's real and what's not, which is is hard to do, 0:21:38.240 --> 0:21:42.480 so follow those sources. Basically, I think the best thing 0:21:42.480 --> 0:21:46.320 to do. We've seen figures, especially compared to the previous 0:21:46.320 --> 0:21:51.159 presidential election year, on what turnout percentages were. What in 0:21:51.200 --> 0:21:56.120 your mind would constitute a successful turnout for this year's election, 0:21:56.200 --> 0:21:58.960 not just speaking about the presidential election, but how would 0:21:59.000 --> 0:22:03.440 you guys define successful turn out? What would that look like? Gosh, 0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:06.840 that's a tough question. I mean, I think we want 0:22:06.880 --> 0:22:09.440