Three Days Out
Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. In Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York, We Are CASA is putting trained Poll Guardians outside polling places so that Black, Brown, and Indigenous voters can cast a ballot without fear. They still need people. You can sign up today.
We have been told for years that protecting the vote is someone else's job: the courts, the parties, the election office. Our history says otherwise. Every expansion of the ballot in this country was won by ordinary people who showed up, stood watch, and refused to be scared off. That tradition is alive in Central Pennsylvania right now, and it is being led by immigrant, Black, and Latino organizers working side by side.
Who We Are CASA Is
We Are CASA is a member-led organization with more than 192,000 members across 46 states, fighting for working-class Black, Latino, Indigenous, and immigrant communities. Born in a church basement among Central American refugees, it treats immigrant justice and voting rights as one fight. A community that can be frightened away from the polls can be frightened away from everything else.
Meet Olga Rivera Galati
Olga Rivera Galati, We Are CASA's Pennsylvania Deputy Director, is leading the call here. Her message to partners this week was direct:
"As a Hispanic Woman, I can share that I am truly concerned that my voice and the voices of other Black, Brown and Indigenous individuals will be silenced out of fear, intimidation or our vote not counted."
She is asking for leaders to coordinate volunteers, monitor polling places, and report problems. A few hours is enough, and poll watchers can cover other locations after their shift.
"Every vote counts, and every voter deserves to feel safe."
The Plan: Hands Off Our Vote
We Are CASA's campaign has two phases. The first is Election Day. The second is whatever comes after.
On Election Day, Poll Guardians in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York will:
Observe polling locations
Identify and document barriers or interference
Help voters reach the information and assistance the law guarantees them
Support a safe, accessible voting environment
Report voter-protection concerns through established channels
Captains take a one-hour training before November 3. The sign-up form lists the available training times.
After Election Day, We Are CASA is preparing for a fight over the count. The organization has said plainly that it expects pressure from Washington, and from some Pennsylvania jurisdictions, against counting every vote. If that happens, the Justice Brigade will:
Recruit neighbors, businesses, and faith leaders to stand up for the democratic process
Make calls, send emails, and show up at hearings
Protest when necessary
We Are CASA hopes none of the second phase is needed. It is getting ready anyway. So should we.
This Is What Resistance Looks Like
Black and Brown communities are not waiting to be rescued. We are organizing our own protection.
The tactics are old ones. Black Southerners guarded each other on the walk to the courthouse. Movement organizers documented every intimidation and every turned-away voter so it could be fought in court and in public. Immigrant workers built mutual-aid networks when no institution would stand with them. Poll Guardians are the same idea: show up, watch closely, write it down, and make sure no one stands alone.
What is new is the coalition. An immigrant justice organization born from Central American refugees is calling Black and Brown neighbors in Lancaster, York, and Harrisburg into the same work. That is how power gets built. The people who would like us scared and divided are counting on Black voters and immigrant voters to see each other as separate problems. We see each other as the same family under the same threat.
Fear is the strategy. Presence is the answer. A trained, calm neighbor at the polling place changes what is possible for the voter walking in behind them.
Sign Up Now
There is still time. Register to serve as a Poll Guardian Captain, pick a one-hour training slot, and tell We Are CASA how much time you can give.
Then do three more things:
Share this post with your family, your church, and your group chats.
Make a plan to vote on November 3 if you have not already.
Be ready after Election Day if We are CASA calls for hearings, calls, or protest.
Our vote is our voice. Hands off it.
Questions about the Poll Guardian program can go to We Are CASA at 1-866-765-CASA (2272), Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Learn more at wearecasa.org.
Sources: We Are CASA: About · Olga Rivera Galati, We Are CASA · CASA's Hands Off Our Vote PA campaign
