Joy To The Polls (JTTP), the original joy factory in civic engagement, kicked off with a 9/29 all-star Broadway block party in Times Square in partnership with Broadway Votes, as well as a block party this past weekend in Philadelphia featuring activist and DJ Cosmo Baker, Sanovia, DJ Nash and The Positive Movement Drumline. Today, JTTP confirms a string of pop-up performances at early voting and Election Day polling locations in PA, AZ, NC & GA.
Initial performers include DJ Jazzy Jeff, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane and Rakim (Philadelphia 10/19), Princess Nokia and singer/songwriter/DJ Durand Bernarr (Philadelphia 10/26), Dreamville Records rapper Lute (Raleigh 10/29), and Carla Morrison (Phoenix 11/1), with more surprise artists on election day (11/5) in all 4 cities (Atlanta, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, Phoenix) – to be announced soon.
Founded in 2020, JTTP has brought musicians including Rick Ross, Questlove and Jon Batiste out to polling sites across the country to initiate fun for voters in long lines, and released playlists from the likes of President Barack Obama, Selena Gomez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda for anyone to listen to while waiting to vote. In addition to playlists and pop-up performances, JTTP kicked off an original song series last month with Rhiannon Giddens, Crys Matthews, and the Resistance Revival Chorus’ cover of Peggy Seeger's "How I Long For Peace".
Amid efforts to restore “joy” to politics, few organizations capture the joy of political engagement as tangibly as Joy To The Polls. Commenting on this, Joy To The Polls cofounder Nelini Stamp says:
“Since 2020, our work has inspired a movement of joy-centered activations to get out the vote as people began to understand the power of our cultural strategy. The Joy To The Polls secret sauce is surprise, delight, and human connection all wrapped up in the guise of pop-up DJ sets, roving concerts, and spontaneous sidewalk dance parties that have the power to transform the culture around voting. Using your voice at the ballot box becomes the community-focused celebration it should be— all while creating a protective, de-escalating presence outside polling places using the soft power of music, art, and communal joy. Look for us this election season and bring your own joy to the polls wherever you vote.”
Photo credit: Ryan Collerd
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