Is Philly ready for voting?

Omar Sabir and Seth Bluestein, two of three city commissioners who oversee balloting in Philadelphia, will talk about their operations and plans for Nov. 5 when Philly and Pennsylvania will be under intense scruting in the national political spotlight.

This will be the first presidential election for both men as commissioners. The last was hair-raising for commissioners at the time, especially Republican Al Schmidt, who was singled out for groundless criticism by the loser, Donald Trump, and who later spoke about it at a PCCP meeting.

Are commissioners Sabir and Bluestein ready? What keeps them up at night? Should the rest of us be concerned about anything?

Commissioner Sabir, who was elected in November 2019 , says his goal for the commission is to "empower and enable all Philadelphians to participate in the voting process by addressing voter apathy and educating communities about the importance of civic engagement."

Prior to his election, Sabir served as a senior staffer in the Office of Pennsylvania State Sen. Vincent Hughes and held senior roles at the Nathaniel Sabir Memorial Scholarship Fund, Citizens for State Rep. Louise Williams Bishop, and the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Early in his career, Sabir served as a union construction worker where he gained critical insight into the issues and concerns of working families. Among other acts, he created Humanitarian Heroes, an initiative with ShopRite stores and Nestlé to send 35,000 bottles of water to the Mississippi Food Network in Jackson, Mississippi. Sabir also created the Octavius Catto Taskforce, which highlights the importance of registering to vote, the impact of elections, and the threat of voter suppression. Sabir is a graduate of Cheyney University, father of six children, and a lifelong Philadelphian.

Commissioner Bluestein took office in February 2022 after serving as Chief Deputy Commissioner under Schmidt. He began working in the Office of the City Commissioners in 2012 and, from 2018 through 2021, also served as the department’s Chief Integrity Officer.

Seth has spent more than a decade serving Philadelphia voters, with a focus on improving the voter experience and ensuring our elections remain fair, secure, and accessible. He has overseen election integrity investigations and quality control audits for the department. An advocate for transparency, Seth has worked to transform the department’s website, communications, and open data initiatives. A lifelong Philadelphian, Seth earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.

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