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Photo provided by Make the Road Action
“We’re showing up big to make sure our voices and our votes are heard because we know that communities of color will play a crucial role in deciding November’s election.”
Allentown, Pennsylvania — Today, Make the Road Action Pennsylvania (MRA-PA) kicked off a landmark seven-figure voter engagement program that will reach hundreds of thousands of voters in key swing states for this year’s midterm elections with a press conference and rally attended by more than 300 people in downtown Allentown.
Local voters, organizers, and members of MRA-PA spoke alongside State Senator Nikil Saval and Allentown Councilmember Ce-Ce Gerlach about the urgent demand for leaders who put the needs of working families before the wants of the wealthy and the powerful.
The voter engagement program will prioritize contact with communities of color, focusing on high-quality conversations with voters at their doors about the issues they’re facing daily—including rising costs, stagnant wages, and real solutions to the affordability crisis—coupled with a six-figure investment in digital and radio ads. Black and Latino voters are the largest non-white voting bloc in the US, and were key to Joe Biden’s victory. As MAGA Republicans invest millions to court voters of color with misinformation and manipulation, the program will rely on trusted community messengers to correct the record.
MRA-PA members will make clear that Democrats are more aligned with our communities’ priorities of ensuring a living wage, affordable housing, and access to health care. Meanwhile, MAGA Republicans have blocked and opposed efforts to cancel student debt, lower drug costs, and raise the minimum wage, all while spreading hate and division.
This year’s program will build on the success of Make the Road Action’s 2020 program, which was found to be among the most impactful voter engagement programs in the country, helping turn out 70% of Latino voters and 90% of Black voters in PA, turn the state blue, and put Joe Biden in the White House. In 2020, Make the Road Action in PA completed approximately 4 million direct voter contact attempts to Black, Latino, and young voters and ran a robust digital ad effort.
Said Maegan Llerena, State Director of Make the Road Action in PA:
“Our communities are our priority, and we’re showing up big to make sure our voices and our votes are heard because we know that communities of color will play a crucial role in deciding November’s election. After Trump won in 2016, we saw how extremist Republicans attacked our communities and we intervened: We turned out our communities, flipped PA blue, and put Joe Biden in the White House. We’re ready to do it again, by reaching hundreds of thousands of voters in our own communities, making real connections, and making it clear that Democrats are proposing real solutions while Republicans block progress.”
Said John Santana, Member of Make the Road Action in PA:
“I’ve spent my whole life in Allentown, and I was so proud to cast my first vote here in 2020, because my home and my community matter to me. Some politicians think they can take our votes for granted, and I want them to know that our community is not an afterthought. We are paying close attention to who stands with us and who is blocking progress, and we are going to make sure our neighbors, friends, and loved ones do too so our voices will be heard with our votes.”
Said Angelo Ortega, Member of Make the Road Action in PA:
“Right now so many families are struggling with the rising costs of rent, food, and bills, and working jobs with pay that doesn’t keep up. This November’s election is a clear choice between Democrats who want to deliver what working families need, and Republicans who don’t. I’m proud to be mobilizing my neighbors to send a clear message that we need leaders who will work for us, not billionaires and big corporations.”
Said Senator Nikil Saval:
“This election is about building a Pennsylvania that is for all of us. Black, brown and immigrant people are the reason our neighborhoods are thriving, and the reason this state prospers. We are Pennsylvania’s future. It’s time to elect leaders who will do right by the hardworking people who keep America moving.”
Said Council Member Ce-Ce Gerlach, Allentown City Council:
“Everyday, I witness how much my neighbors and loved ones struggle. They are renters facing eviction because the cost of everything keeps going up. Despite their hard work, they struggle every day to feed their families. It’s time we elect leaders who prioritize what Black, brown and immigrant voters need to live with dignity. Our communities cannot wait any longer, and that is why we are making our voices heard.”
Information provided to TVL by:
Melissa McCleery
Ivonne Rodriguez
