Young men team up with Philadelphia Councilman Isaiah Thomas to increase Black male voter turnout

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A group of high school interns are joining together with Councilman Isaiah Thomas and other City Council members to get more Black men into voting booths. Specifically, the “2024 by 2024” initiative aims to get 2,024 Black men to sign a pledge to vote in the November 2024 election.

One of Councilman Thomas’ interns, Jaydin Marshall, can’t vote quite yet, but he sees the importance of getting those who can out to the polls.

“It is very helpful to our community as Black men, and I really feel like this is a step forward into the right direction,” Marshall said.

Marshall joined fellow intern Shawn Coleman Wednesday to pass out pledge cards to potential voters on the sidewalks of Center City. Each card has a QR code for a person to scan and fill out an online form, pledging to vote in this year’s elections.

“I’m excited because it’s for a good cause,” Coleman said. “November is coming up!”

Thomas said he takes seriously his role in educating young people about the importance of voting and engaging them in elections as they near age 18.

“We should feel responsible when a young person says they are not quite sure who they are voting, for or why they are voting,” Thomas said. “That means that we are not doing our job to make sure we provide the proper information and resources.”

It’s one of the reasons why Thomas created a robust intern program, with around 10 high schoolers spending time with his team and taking on senior projects that will teach them about local issues that matter to them and how city elected officials interact with those issues. Thomas led a discussion Wednesday with his interns, asking for their ideas on how to get out the vote among young people and sharing how results from elections could impact their college tuition.

“I’ve never been around such a serious African American role model, to be honest,” high schooler Semaj Wright said.

Wright, who recently turned 18, said Thomas has taught him that he can control issues that matter to him by casting his ballot.

“I shouldn’t base my votes off of who my parents are voting for, or who anybody else is voting for,” Wright said. “You should do your own research and look into it. Figure out what that one person wants to do with your state, town, whatever. And make sure it’s who you really want to see in that position.”

By spearheading the “2024 by 2024” initiative, Thomas hopes to reach a demographic with a historically low voter turnout, and one that has decreased in recent years.

“I think that Black communities have had a long history of negative interactions and engagements with government,” Thomas said. “That puts a lot of communities of color in a position where people feel like government is not working for them.”

Thomas wants to change that narrative.

“The goal is to target a demographic who traditionally does not vote in every election,” he said. “We are looking at people who voted maybe in one out of the last four elections. And we’re also looking at people who may have never voted at all.”