Block parties – A popular summer tradition In many neighborhoods in Philadelphia – may lead to a small increase in voter turnout amongst Philadelphians.
In a brand new one Peer-reviewed study published within the Urban Affairs Reviewmy colleagues and I discovered that Philadelphia residents who lived in neighborhoods where there was not less than one party in 2012 were nearly 2 percentage points more prone to vote in that yr's presidential election than those that lived in neighborhoods during which there have been no parties this yr.
We merged city data on the variety of block party permits issued between 2006 and 2016 with turnout data from Philadelphia voter rolls and neighborhood demographic data from the U.S. Census.
We focused on the 2012 election cycle, not 2008 or 2016, because that's where Philadelphians voted unusually high rates in 2008 and Pennsylvania was considered Battleground state in 2016which can have led to campaigns focusing more attention and resources on Philadelphia voters.
Although the gains in voter turnout we found were small, they were larger than those achieved through costly voter turnout initiatives some scholars argue have little to no impact on voter turnout.
We also found that bloc parties are a simpler voter mobilization tool in black neighborhoods than in predominantly white, Asian, or Latino neighborhoods.
Why it matters
Block parties are necessary social gatherings in Philadelphia communities.
A Mapping project 2016 from Philadelphia news outlet WHYY showed that 1000’s of parties took place in neighborhoods across town every year – albeit in these numbers has declined within the last 15 years. According to Axios Philadelphia, town has issued 2,511 block party permits in 2023, in comparison with 4,276 in 2018 and seven,700 in 2008.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are in a single statistical tie within the polls. Political campaigns And non-partisan civic organizations are spending lots of money and energy to get to the vote in 2024. For example, in August, shortly after Harris entered the race, her campaign Spent $174 million about attempting to get people to vote. The Trump campaign spent $61 million on the trouble that very same month.
Our research shows that social events like block parties, even in the event that they usually are not explicitly political, could easily increase voter turnout in urban neighborhoods.
Looking forward, along with initiatives that directly goal voter turnout, campaigns and organizations could also put money into more neighborhood events that strengthen community bonds. The non-profit Civic Responsibility Projectfor instance organized Dance parties where you’ll be able to get your voice out in cities across the country, including Philadelphia. Such events can strengthen social bonds between neighbors and could possibly be particularly necessary in minority communities where residents reside less prone to vote.
What just isn’t yet known
We don't yet understand how events like block parties increase voter turnout, but we suspect they accomplish that because they supply a chance for neighbors to get to know one another. Once social bonds are formed, neighbors inform one another about politics, including voter registration data and polling place locations.
We also don't know whether these results apply to cities outside of Philadelphia, to election years apart from 2012, or to other forms of neighborhood events. We consider that bloc parties and other community events have the facility to extend voter turnout in cities across the country; However, more research is required to make sure.
How we do our work
This study was a part of an interdisciplinary project that brought together political scientists and concrete planning researchers. The joint effort allowed us to mix spatial mapping and statistical evaluation techniques which might be commonly utilized in our respective fields but are rarely used together.
The Research Brief is a temporary insight into interesting scientific work.
image credit : theconversation.com