Western Pennsylvania organizations looking to increase Black voter turnout in election
The Pittsburgh chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) is spearheading a regional effort to drive turnout among Black voters for the general election.
The institute, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO, says it has put together “the largest coalition of African American organizations ever assembled in Western Pennsylvania for electoral activities and voter turnout.” It also says it will be focusing its efforts on communities outside Pittsburgh, including those in Washington County, as well as Beaver, Fayette, Lawrence and Westmoreland counties.
DeWitt Walton, the program director for the Pittsburgh APRI, said the coalition’s efforts are nonpartisan, but that “Black voices need to be heard now more than ever.”
Walton said the institute will be working with the NAACP chapter in Washington, and other chapters throughout the region, as part of the effort, as well as fraternities and sororities, LGBTQ groups, and organizations that work with individuals who have been incarcerated.
Walton said the coalition’s efforts will be focused on doing phone bank work, sending materials by direct mail, social media engagement and some door-to-door canvassing, though he said the latter faces obstacles as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
They also hope to avoid overlapping efforts with other groups.
The coalition is also encouraging Black voters to cast ballots early, either through mail-in ballots or at some remote voting locations that will be established in Allegheny County.
More information is available at www.pablackvotesmatter.com.