Music is on the bill at some Kansas polling sites
DJs at the Polls has hired about 50 DJs to perform at election locations in Wyandotte and Sedgwick Counties, and Wichita organization Root the Power is bringing back its regular 'vote mob.'
If you live in an urban area in Kansas, your voting experience this election cycle may come with a soundtrack.
DJs at the Polls began at a single Philadelphia polling place in 2009. In 2020, Focus for Democracy helped the program expand to more states. This year, 30 DJs will spin records on Election Day at some 50 locations in Sedgwick and Wyandotte counties. They're joined by about 3,000 others performing in 24 states.
“We hire local DJs from the community because they DJ your barbecues, your baby shower, your weddings — all the fun stuff — and they know people in the neighborhoods,” said Anton Moore, the co-founder and director of DJs at the Polls.
“The goal is to engage people around voting. And DJs are able to pull in people that usually don't vote.”
When adding new locations, the program looks for areas where there is low turnout or low propensity — meaning inconsistent voting patterns — among people of color.
The program provides a branded tablecloth, a generator, and a $500 stipend to the DJs, each of whom are responsible for bringing their own rig.
Longtime Wichita DJ Marc Lujan, aka Marcus El, will be spinning during two election-day shifts at the Wichita State Hughes Metropolitan Complex and Greater St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church.
Lujan was skeptical when he first heard about the opportunity, but the website “looked legit,” and he read through the contract carefully before he signed to ensure he wasn’t agreeing to anything he wasn’t comfortable with.
“If worst comes to worst, I show up, I play music for four hours, and I don't get paid,” he joked. “Like that’s never happened before.”
Once he was in the system, Lujan got access to a management page that allowed him to upload his own images and generate graphics for use on social media.
“This is actually kind of slick,” he said. “They seem really well put together, like they've been doing this for a while.”
Lujan will be joined by other Wichita DJs whose names you might recognize from Tribal Roots events or neighborhood block parties.
While DJs at the Polls is a national effort with a new presence in Kansas, a Wichita organization has been throwing parties at the polls for a decade.
Root the Power, a youth-led program of Destination Innovation, will host its annual “vote mob” from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 3, at the Urban League, 2418 E. 9th St. N. Past vote mobs have included live music, food, and specially designed T-shirts.
An Instagram post from the Wichita-based, youth-led organization Root the Power encourages voters to engage this election season. (Root the Power via Instagram)
This year, Root the Power is encouraging voters to drop off their mail-in ballots at the Urban League, which is the voting location for many residents of Wichita District 1.
Emily Christensen is one of the co-founders of The SHOUT. She is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a recipient of an Arts Writing Grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation. Send her a message: emily@shoutwichita.com.
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