Today we are just two months away from Election Day, and only 46 days away from the voter registration deadline.
As Pennsylvanians grapple with the escalating impacts of climate change—from record-breaking heatwaves to devastating floods—voters are being confronted with a critical choice this November. Will they support leaders who prioritize the health of our environment and communities, or will they allow a future of worsening environmental crises to take hold? On August 29th we partnered with Climate Power to host a press conference for environmental justice at Temple University in Philadelphia. Pennsylvania State Representative Danilo Burgos, Philadelphia Councilwoman Dr. Nina Ahmad, and Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor, joined us and shared their insights on what elected officials should and will be doing to protect our environment and how that directly translates to our well-being.
Additionally, Molly Parzen, Executive Director of Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, and Flora Cardoni, Deputy Director of PennEnvironment mentioned how voters can help protect critical federal investments that safeguard the environment and how they are working to implement these laws in ways that put our communities first. |
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The voters of Pennsylvania won on August 30th. The New Pennsylvania Project is elated by the correct ruling of the Commonwealth Court in the suit brought by the affiliated organization the New PA Project Education Fund and many other partners. No voter should be disenfranchised due to an inconsequential misdated or incorrectly dated ballot. Ensuring our voices are heard at the ballot box is what matters. |
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All eyes are on the cohort of Gen Z voters, who like Ryan J. Klein (left) of the Penn State College Republicans and Baybars Charkas of the College Democrats, are poised to tip the outcome of the 2024 election.
Image Source: Joe Hermitt | [email protected] |
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“This had been the most difficult and challenging presidential election I‘ve ever worked in terms of trying to do voter registration,” said Kadida Kenner, CEO of the New Pennsylvania Project and the New Pennsylvania Project Education Fund, both non-partisan voting advocacy groups.
“Usually you don’t have enough time. You don’t have enough clipboards. This time we couldn’t get folks to register. They were disengaged. Apathetic. They were disgusted and had no interest. After July 21, it was a whole new switch.” Overnight, voter registration saw week-over-week increases as high as 64%. The majority of new voters registered by Kenner’s organizations are under 35.” |
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Image Source: Show Up Strong / The Keystone |
"Kadida Kenner has also seen an attitude shift in the voter climate. Kenner is CEO of the New Pennsylvania Project, an organization focused on getting people registered to vote, particularly those in minority communities and the younger generation. She said many of the people her organization spoke to prior to Harris announcing her candidacy were disgusted and disheartened by the options on the November ballot."
"That isn’t the case anymore." “Our voter registration numbers have improved every week,” Kenner said. “Many want to take advantage of this historical opportunity. I think that is what has been the driving force, definitely on college campuses. This is a historical opportunity to vote for someone who represents the changing demographics.” |
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| Rural Progressive Summit II Saturday, September 7, 2024
Registration begins at 8:30 AM
General Session Begins at 9:00 AM
Gemmell Student Center PennWest Clarion
840 Wood St, Clarion, PA 16214
The one-day, non-partisan event will bring together people from rural parts of the region who care about the future of our nation. Kadida Kenner will host a panel titled: Expand Democracy by Expanding the Electorate |
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| Expand the Electorate Tuesday, September 10, 2024
7:30PM Campana Chapel 217 N Campus Rd, Greensburg, PA 15601
CEO Kadida Kenner will kicking off the political and civic engagement series at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg. She will be discussing all things around expanding democracy by expanding the electorate.
Following will be a presidential debate watch party!
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| New Pennsylvania Project & Climate Power Press Conference
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
2:00PM
The Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Allentown, PA 18101
New Pennsylvania Project and Climate Power will host a press conference with elected officials to talk about how Pennsylvania is facing increasingly severe weather due to climate change and what elected officials can and should be doing to protect our future. Communities of color disproportionately bear the weight of extreme weather. |
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| Opening the Prison Cage: Unerasing Women Behind Bars
Thursday, September 19, 2024
5:30PM-8:30PM
Parkway Central Library
1901 Vine St, Philadelphia, PA 19103
The evening will begin with a screening of the film "Kemba," which tells the harrowing yet inspiring story of Kemba Smith's journey from a college student to a federal prisoner, and her eventual pardon.
The screening will be followed by a talk-back with Kemba Smith and Kadida Kenner. |
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Raffle Fun and Back-to-School |
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| Back-to-school season is going strong! Have you spotted us at any of your local events? We always have swag and some goodies up our sleeves.
(We might as well have some fun while we're registering to vote, right?)
On the left is one of our NPP members handing off a raffle win to a registered voter! |
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You might also catch us at different cultural events, registering voters!
Here we are at the Caribbean Festival in Easton, PA last week! |
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Press Conference in Philly
On August 29th, our team hosted a press conference on Temple University's campus in Philadelphia that focused on the intersection between environmental justice and the upcoming elections. |
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Pa. Commonwealth Court Rules to Count Provisional Ballots from Mail Voters Who Forgot Secrecy Envelope
“A three-judge panel of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled on September 5th, that Butler County had no legal basis to disqualify the provisional ballots of two mail voters who forgot to include the secrecy envelope with their ballot return packets in the 2024 primary election. In a 2-1 decision, the court ordered the county to count the provisional ballots of Faith Genser and Frank Matis, the two county voters who brought a lawsuit against the Butler County board of elections after the board refused to count their provisional ballots.”
Pennsylvania Counties Must Count Undated and Misdated Mail-in Ballots, Court Rules “In a 4-1 ruling, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court blocked enforcement of a law requiring election officials to reject otherwise valid mail-in ballots with missing or incorrect handwritten dates on their outer return envelopes.”
Pennsylvania Courts Will Expedite Appeals in 2024 Election Cases
“The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued an order Tuesday that will expedite the appeals processes for 2024 election cases in commonwealth courts ahead of November… Under the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s recent order, which takes effect on Thursday, parties will only have a three-day appeal period, which will include weekends and holidays.”
These 3 court cases could determine how Pa. handles mail ballots this fall
“Three legal disputes over mail ballots in Pennsylvania are in line for possible rulings from statewide appellate courts ahead of November’s election. That could mean late-in-the-game changes to the rules that govern vote counting in a crucial swing state.”
Abortion, climate change cases await decisions from Pa.’s highest courts
“The state Supreme Court often has the final say on major policy decisions that affect virtually every Pennsylvanian, from no-excuse mail voting to the commonwealth’s congressional map. However, the seven justices have few hard deadlines and can take years to render their opinions on critical issues.”
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court Rejects GOP Lawsuit Challenging Absentee Ballot Rules
“The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court last Friday rejected a lawsuit from two Republican legislators seeking to upend state laws governing where voters must return their completed absentee ballots to be tallied.” |
‘The face of our elections’: As November nears, Pennsylvania needs poll workers
“As Election Day 2024 approaches, election officials say there are not enough poll workers, though the situation isn’t as dire as it was in 2020. “This is not a one-year problem; this is an ongoing problem, and, in many cases, this is because lots of poll workers have been doing it for many years, and so it’s an older group of folks,” said Philip Hensley-Robin, the executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan government watchdog group that runs a statewide program to educate and protect voters.”
Not knowing the winner on election night is perfectly normal
“The process of counting every vote in Pennsylvania takes days, and sometimes weeks — not hours. Relax, it just means democracy is working properly. It’s not a sign of voter fraud. It’s 11 p.m. on election night. TV pundits are breathlessly trying to make sense of early voting returns from Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state in the presidential election with 19 electoral votes. Your text thread is blowing up, with everyone wondering why the final results from Pennsylvania haven’t been announced.”
Pa. election 2024: Everything you need to know about requesting, filling out, and returning your mail ballot
“On Nov. 5, Pennsylvanians will vote for president, U.S. House and Senate, state row offices (attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer), and the legislature. While many voters will head to their local polling place on Election Day, others will opt to vote by mail instead. All registered voters in the commonwealth have been able to vote by mail since 2020.”
The Voting Rights Situation in Some Swing States Is Quite Alarming
"Since these changes happen bit by bit over time at the local level, you could easily have missed them—but the big picture of how much things have changed since 2020, especially in some key swing states, is pretty troubling. Republican-controlled statehouses have created new barriers to voting and eliminated many of the COVID-era concessions that made voting easier. And in an election year when Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump seem to be neck and neck, even a small blip in turnout because of these new laws could have a significant impact in states like North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan—exactly where some of the country’s most restrictive voting laws are being passed."
Under a new law, state-paid solar panels will soon generate savings for schools in Philly and beyond
“We're not talking about a few dollars,” said State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler. “We're talking about millions of dollars over the life” of the panels. Coming to a school near you: solar panels on roofs.”
In Pennsylvania’s competitive U.S. Senate race, fracking takes center stage
“Vice President Kamala Harris has been the official Democratic nominee for president for less than a month, but her presence is already changing the dynamic in critical races down the ballot. On July 26, Pennsylvania’s Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Dave McCormick, visited a fracking rig in Warren County. One reason for his trip? To link Harris with his opponent in the race, Democratic Sen. Bob Casey.”
Feds in Philly announce takedown of Russian-backed propaganda effort aimed at influencing U.S. presidential vote
“Federal authorities in Philadelphia have seized more than 30 internet domains believed to be part of a wide-ranging, Russian-backed disinformation campaign aimed at influencing the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, Justice Department officials announced Wednesday.”
Republican-led group launches $11.5 million swing states campaign against Trump
“Pennsylvania drivers might begin seeing more billboards featuring ordinary people, like a white-haired, red-shirt wearing man named “Mike,” and a simple message: “I’m a former Trump voter. I’m a patriot. I’m voting for Harris.” The billboards are paid for by a group called Republican Voters Against Trump,.. On Tuesday, the group announced a new $11.5 million campaign…But the bulk of the spending, $4.5 million, will target Pennsylvania, which could end up being the decisive state in the 2024 election.”
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| We're Hiring!
Join the New Pennsylvania Project (NPP) and be a part of our mission to empower impacted, Black, Indigenous and other communities of color across PA. Help us support every eligible voter to feel compelled to vote.
Your work will make a direct impact on civil rights, fair education funding, economic justice, and environmental stewardship. Reach us at [email protected] |
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General Election: November 5, 2024 Last day to register to vote: October 21, 2024
Last day to request mail-in ballot: October 29, 2024 Important Links:
PA Department of State Website
Return Your Ballot
Track Your Ballot
Find Your Polling Place Voter Hotlines:
Voter Protection Hotline: 1-866-OUR-VOTE DOS PA Voter Hotline: 1-877-VOTESPA
Spanish/English Hotline: 1-866-VE-Y-VOTA Asian Languages Hotline: 1-888-API-VOTE
Arabic/English Hotline: 1-844-YALLA-US |
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