DJs Plan Election-Day Music at 5,000 Polling Sites

DJs at the Polls, a nonpartisan get-out-the-vote initiative founded in Philadelphia in 2009, will bring roughly 2,000 local DJs to about 5,000 polling sites across 24 states on Nov. 3. Local efforts include Houston, 18 locations in Wyandotte County, 28 in Sedgwick County and 79 in the San Antonio area. Organizers say the music is intended to make voting more welcoming and encourage turnout, particularly among young, first-time and historically underrepresented voters; DJs are instructed to avoid political messaging and campaign gear and to play family-friendly music. A 2022 randomized study found turnout at participating sites rose by as much as 3% among Black, Indigenous and other people of color, while organizers also emphasize creating a festive, community-centered voting experience.