2,000 DJs Set to Play Music at 5,000 Polling Sites on Election Day

DJs at the Polls will staff 5,000 voting sites across 24 states on Tuesday. The national nonprofit is deploying 2,000 musicians to encourage participation in areas that have historically recorded low voter turnout.

Anton Moore founded the organization in 2009 to change the atmosphere at the ballot box. Moore said he wanted to make voting a positive community experience rather than a routine task. He observed that people often arrived, cast their ballots, and left without interacting. He placed a DJ at a polling location to see if it would change the dynamic. People began dancing and socializing in the line.

The group is nonpartisan. Its DJs do not endorse any political party or candidate. They also do not direct voters on how to mark their ballots. Moore noted that randomized controlled trials indicate their presence can increase voter turnout.

Musicians for the event are trained to play neighborhood favorites. They control the set list but must avoid songs with explicit lyrics. Moore said the music helps shift the mood for voters. A person having a bad day might feel better when they step up to a polling site and see a DJ outside.

The organization has expanded from a single location in Philadelphia in 2009 to its current national reach. In Northeast Ohio, DJs will be present at 66 polling places in the Akron and Cleveland areas. The group does not release the full list of sites for security reasons.

In Cleveland, a DJ will play at the Boys and Girls Clubs on Broadway Avenue from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Election Day. Another DJ will work the Cleveland Heights Community Center from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.