DJs at the Polls engages community, voters
DJs At the Polls, a national nonprofit, hired DJs to play at polling places all over Atlanta on Election Day to encourage voter turnout.
DJ Jess Carp was stationed at Morningside Baptist Church in the morning and will be at two different locations throughout the day. Carp said DJ At the Polls helps lighten the mood and make voting exciting.
“Working at an event like this is showing the community that we all can come together,” Carp said. “We all can push the idea that we all need to be heard and vote and just bring good energy to this event because it can be so serious at this moment. The fate of our country is in the hands of someone that’s going to be elected, so I think it’s very important for me to be out here and encourage everyone to vote and keep the positivity going.”
DJ Waffles, who was stationed at Virginia-Highland Elementary School this morning, thinks DJs At the Polls improves the atmosphere for voters.
“Our job is to curate vibes for the people that are going in to vote,” Waffles said. “Our whole job is to inspire people to have a good feeling when they’re going in to vote.”
Byron Williams voted today at Virginia-Highland and thinks the music creates a good atmosphere.
“They’re doing great work,” Williams said. “Music makes people more comfortable and always brings them together. So, sitting outside pushing up with the DJs will definitely make people feel better about voting.”
Joy Edwards is a friend of Waffles and came to Virginia-Highland Elementary to support him. She voted earlier this morning at her polling location in Buckhead and said she has been involved in voter advocacy since she was 18. Edwards said DJs At the Polls is a great way to encourage people who don’t traditionally vote to come out.
“I think it’s important to draw out different crowds and people to come out and vote and really exercise their right,” Edwards said. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh I’m not gonna do it, I’m not gonna do it,’ but when you bring out different people, different types of energy, it’ll draw different crowds of people that really represent the whole United States.”
DJ Julius Bryant played at St. Luke’s Church in Downtown Atlanta and Helene Mills Senior Center. Bryant thinks the energy that music provides helps convince people to come to the polls and vote.
“You can be waiting in line for a long time to get to the polling center and for some people that may discourage them from staying long enough to actually vote,” Bryant said. ”Just having some music out here to give them a little energy is helpful.”
DJ Wolfsta, who was outside of David T. Howard Middle School, said music helps lift the mood around voting and encourages young voter turnout.
“It definitely brings a much more positive vibe because this is a really serious event,” Wolfsta said. “It’s helpful to bring young people out to vote because when they see the music, they’re like ‘Oh what’s up, what’s going on there,’ they see the banner and then I feel like they’re more incentivized to vote.”
Carp said DJs help people have a more positive experience voting and that she aims to make voting a joyful community experience.
“Voting can be pretty boring because you come out and just stand in line amongst a bunch of people and no one’s really speaking much and everyone’s just standing there,” Carp said. “I think music brings a little bit more energy and fun, people can sing along. I’m gonna be playing all clean music from different genres, so hopefully, everyone hears something that they like and it starts their day off pretty well.”
Bryant believes the DJs are beneficial to voters and community members. He was stationed down on the sidewalk, farther away from where people were actually casting their ballots, but this location gave him better access to engage with community members passing by.
“We’re here to support the election and the voters, but even people just walking by have stopped to talk to me and stopped and sang and danced along with the music, so I think that’s helpful for the community,” Bryant said.
Additional contributions by Sierra Pape and Lara Hodson
Fairlie Mercer is a junior and this is her second year writing for the Southerner. She currently writes for comment and is excited for her first year as an editor. Outside of journalism she enjoys hanging out with friends and dance.
