Early on Election Day morning outside Albuquerque’s South Valley Multipurpose Senior Center, Thomas Prando was all smiles as he played tunes outside the polling station entrance.
“I'm just playing good music for people as they walk up to go vote,” said Prando, “hopefully they remember it as a positive experience, and that's basically just what we're trying to do. Maybe some people will dance.”
Prando’s setup advertised DJs at the Polls, an organization founded nearly 20 years ago in Philadelphia, which has grown into a national, non-partisan program to help underrepresented communities celebrate Election Day and vote. Prando, a professional DJ, said when he learned about the possibility of playing music at the polls, he was ready to volunteer.
“But then I found out when I signed up that it's actually a paid gig,” said Prando, “so that's quite a bonus.”
The upbeat music Prando played was in stark contrast to the serious concerns expressed by voters hoping for change, including by Prando himself.
“Things have not been very nice for me,” said Prando, who has plans to leave the U.S. at the end of the month for the Philippines, where his wife is from, to take a break from all that he’s worried about, including affordability.
“I built a two-story, 4-bedroom, two-bath over there for about $80,000,” said Prando. “All I have to pay is for electricity and food, and I'll be good. Hopefully, I DJ out there as well.”
For voter Lindsay Lopez, who, among other jobs, runs her own business, so much has changed in the past two years. She said it hasn’t really changed the way she votes, but has made it even more critical for her to vote.
“Because of the changes that have happened federally that impacts every single one of us each and every day,” said Lopez, including “$200 million cut from WIC, our SNAP and Medicaid benefits cut – this will affect children and families, not just in New Mexico, but, of course, nationwide.”
For voter Ernesto Ybarra, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, accountability lies with Republicans and Democrats.
“I mean, like they say, it's two wings to the same bird,” said Ybarra, who thinks the Democrats contributed to the rise of Trumpism and the Make America Great Again movement.
“You know they [Democrats] always tend to say, ‘Oh, you know when they go low, we go high.’ But I feel like you're literally fighting against white nationalism. You're fighting against fascism. And you're fighting against Christian nationalism… So I just feel like Democrats better hold these people accountable… I'm at the point where there's very little representation now for the working class.”
According to DJs at the Polls, they supported DJs in thousands of locations across 24 states this election. Prando said he may not be back next year, but plans to be back in two years, at least to play music for the next federal election.
