With the midterm election less than six months away, organizers in Pennsylvania are pushing for more voter engagement and education after low turnout in the May primary.

Preliminary data shows fewer than 20% of eligible voters participated in the state’s primary.

Jada Thompson, integrated voter engagement manager for New Voices for Reproductive Justice, said the group’s “Our Stories, Our Power” listening sessions, scheduled for today in Philadelphia and June 18 in Pittsburgh, are meant to go beyond traditional voter outreach by giving residents a space to share their experiences.

Thompson said many people feel disconnected from the political process and are unsure whether their vote makes a difference — something organizers hope to change before November.

“We invite people to dig a little bit deeper on that conversation," Thompson said, "and when you think about Voting Rights Act and the redistricting that's happening, it makes people feel even more less connected to the process because they're constantly creating barriers for people to get out and vote.”

During Pennsylvania’s midterms, Gov. Josh Shapiro will be running for re-election against Republican Stacy Garrity. Pennsylvania voters will also choose candidates for all 17 U.S. House seats, half of the 50 state Senate seats and all 203 state House seats in November.

Thompson said discussion topics at the listening sessions can vary, but lately people have been raising concerns about reproductive health, maternal care and birth control. She said she wants people to understand that local races can affect those issues.

“I think people don't realize that again, the way you vote locally, it matters,” Thompson said. “When city officials allocate funds in the budget, it shows what they care about and what they're prioritizing. We have to really hold our elected officials accountable to make sure that they're representing what we want to see in the budget.”

Thompson said environmental justice will also be part of the conversation. She said air quality is a major concern, especially in Philadelphia, where residents have told canvassers about health impacts.

She pointed to one mother in Chester whose three children were hospitalized with asthma and who believes their illness is linked to a nearby trash incinerator.

Source: Public News Service