Like many Philadelphians, Peter Warrington, a retired Chestnut Hill physician, understands the critical role the city will play in next week’s election. It’s not just any election.

“I’ve been voting in presidential elections since 1968, and this is far and away the most important one in my lifetime,” he said.

Yet when Tom Conrad, a fellow member of the Chestnut Hill Quaker Meeting, suggested forming a group to help boost voter participation in the city, Warrington was skeptical. It “sounded at the time like a fairly grandiose idea,” Warrington recalled of the conversation they had just a few weeks ago. “But Tom was very enthusiastic, so we persisted.” 

Six members of the meeting signed up to create Philly Souls to the Polls and help drive voters to their polling places. Within a few short weeks, the group that started as a modest effort in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill has mobilized more than 140 volunteers and attracted help from all over the country. 

“To my astonishment,” Conrad said, “we now have people from as far away as Washington state, from New Jersey, Texas, Delaware and Maryland. They’ve signed up and said, ‘I will be there on Nov. 5 just to drive Philadelphians to the polls.’”

In addition to the drivers, Conrad said, another 30 volunteers are working behind the scenes to assist.

“Many people are concerned about the election, and particularly about the problem of mobility and getting to the polls. There can be many impediments to voting – whether it’s poverty, lack of interest or lack of transportation. That last one is one we can help relieve,” Conrad said. “We can’t change society overnight, but we can make one step toward removing this barrier.”

Conrad said he was motivated to form the group by a simple statistic – that in 2020, the last presidential election, “380,000 of the city’s registered voters (out of more than 1 million) did not cast a ballot.”

Philadelphia has traditionally voted for Democrats by a substantial margin. But statewide polling suggests the presidential race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is virtually tied. Down-ballot races for state and federal offices may also be close. Philadelphia’s votes, and Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral college votes, could help decide these races. 

Philly Souls to the Polls, Conrad stressed, is non-partisan. “We serve all people who ask for a ride.”

But the group that grew from the local meeting house is firmly part of Quaker traditions, Conrad said. “Friends” worked to help secure voting rights in the suffragist movement of the early 20th century and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ‘60s.

“Fundamental to Friends is being a constructive, positive, caring member of whatever you consider your community,” Warrington said. “We’re not a cloistered kind of community. It would be unthinkable to watch (the election) unfold and not be engaged in some way.”

Conrad said the group has reached out to other local congregations and Power Interfaith, which represents more than 50 churches in the region, in search of both drivers and riders for Election Day. The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, which maintains a helpline for senior city residents, now has Philly Souls to the Polls on its list of Election Day resources.  

National campaigns have focused on the Commonwealth’s status as a swing state (see: the torrent of campaign commercials on local TV). So enthusiastic volunteers from around the country are now here, knocking on doors and encouraging residents to vote. Some are referring those potential voters to Philly Souls to the Polls. Some have pledged to volunteer for Souls to the Polls.

“It’s a sign of the times,” Conrad said. “The whole country is watching Pennsylvania, and people want to make sure that every vote is counted.”

While Philly Souls to the Polls is rooted in Northwest Philadelphia, local wards traditionally have the highest voter turnout rates in the city. So Conrad expects most demand will come from North, Southwest and river-ward neighborhoods where voter turnout is lower. 

Warrington has already driven a dozen voters, most in West Philadelphia, to official city satellite election offices, where they can securely request, complete and turn in a mail-in or absentee ballot before the election.  It’s a satisfying process, he said: “I feel like I’m doing something, I’m not fretting.”

But he cautioned that it can be time-consuming, as voters may need help filling out paperwork or move slowly with wheelchairs or walkers.

Volunteers need “to be people who aren’t looking at their watch because they need to be somewhere,” he said. “I bring a book.”

Grace Wicks, a Chestnut Hill resident and Meeting member, brought several West Philadelphians to drop off their ballots last week. She described the effort as “really inspiring.” 

“I feel like I have the privilege that I have the vehicle, and I have the time,” she said. “I feel a responsibility to assist other people.

 “I took this older woman with a walker, and she spoke about it being important to vote and how she hadn’t missed an election. It was really nice to accompany her and get her where she needed to go.”

If you would like to volunteer for Philly Souls to the Polls, or could use their services on Election Day, visit their website at phillysouls2polls.com.