The president of the Philadelphia City Commissioners, Omar Sabir, spoke with El Sol Latino Newspaper about the upcoming November 4 elections, a decisive date for American democracy. For Sabir, it is very important that citizens understand they must vote twice a year, not just once every four years in presidential elections.
The U.S. electoral year will conclude with the November 4 elections. General elections will be held in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Sabir was elected on November 5, 2019, and sworn in as Philadelphia County City Commissioner. In 2024, however, he was elected president by the other two commissioners. Since then, he has committed himself to empowering all city residents to participate in the electoral process, combat voter apathy, and educate communities about civic engagement.
How do you feel about leading the Philadelphia Commissioner elections?
It feels great, especially with our satellite locations. You know, it’s a new way of voting. People can visit the sites without waiting for Election Day. They can vote early. So, I really love these satellite offices. It’s very exciting—we’re just beginning to see their potential.
What has been one of the greatest achievements in your career or in your journey as commissioner?
One, of course, has been increasing the pay for election workers and making the payment process faster. Currently, it takes about two weeks, but before it took two months. Even after the November election, people wouldn’t get paid until around Christmas. It was truly a shame that people worked so hard, prepared themselves, and still had to wait months to get paid.
I’m also involved in a program where you can become an election worker at just 17 years old. Teaching democracy to those high school students—the look in their eyes when they want to serve as poll workers—it’s something you can’t imagine. It makes you optimistic about our country.
The November 4 elections are approaching. Why are they so important?
It will be about judges. From municipal courts to state supreme courts. It’s quite interesting, because judges can do so much—take your life, your freedom, your children, your money—all with just a signature, with one decision. Yet, we don’t usually think about judges in that way. However, there are judges on the bench, new names, and also some who have been serving for ten or six years, depending on the court. Citizens have the chance to decide: “Yes, you stay” or “No, you have to go.”
You can read: State of the vote: Omar Sabir y Mary Gay Scanlon impulsan participación ciudadana
It’s a very important election, and I hope people take advantage of it. Unfortunately, presidential and gubernatorial elections get all the attention, while judicial races are often overlooked—even though judges make critical decisions.
Can you tell us more about the America Report Card?
There are many policies happening right now, but the way they are written into law means they won’t take effect until 2027, 2028, or 2029. It’s not that they’re happening right now—it’s more like: “This is what we’re planning to do.” So if citizens stay home thinking politics won’t affect them and nothing matters, well, it does matter.
It matters who is in office. The way to handle it is to get out and vote—and I’m talking about Democrats, Republicans, independents: America as a whole. If turnout is historic, politicians will know they have to listen to the American people.
What will your office do to protect the integrity of elections in our city?
I believe I have the best team in the country; they have integrity and will be processing everything. We also have 8,500 people—teachers, students, retirees, people of all ages—who come together for one day to make sure the 700 polling places open on time, that the vote count is accurate, and that everything is done with integrity. Before the day begins, they take an oath and work very hard.
I think it’s a continuation of everything we already have—like our legal team, which ensures every procedure is carried out correctly. We also have the attorney general, state partners, and federal partners who are vigilant about making sure every detail is done precisely.
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