“The efforts of the government alone will never be enough. In the end, the people must choose,”
                                       – John F. Kennedy

Voter Registration in the 4th

Voters determine who makes the rules that our communities live under. Those who don’t vote are subject to those who do. More than 1.3 million people in Pennsylvania of voting age are not registered. Nearly 400,000 of those people live in Montgomery and Philadelphia county. Many of our neighbors’ voices are silenced because they cannot vote.

This past weekend, 18 volunteers with my office helped put a dent in that number. They signed up many new voters across Northwest Philadelphia and eastern Montgomery County. On Saturday 7 October, we will help even more neighbors. Please join us in volunteering this Saturday between 10am and 4pm. Please call my office at 215 242 8171 to sign up.

The deadline for registering to vote is Tuesday, 10 October.

Addressing Gun Violence

Thoughts and prayers in light of the ceaseless gun violence in this country are not enough. We must take action to remove the weapons of war being used within our communities to commit these atrocities – whether it is 59 country music fans in Las Vegas or four young people in Germantown.

I have long been an advocate for gun safety and a commonsense approach to gun control. I am now calling for the ban and confiscation of semiautomatic weapons. Australians did exactly that and have ended mass murders. A life in Australia is worth a life in the USA.

Machine guns have been rigorously regulated within the boundaries of the Constitution successfully. The 2nd Amendment does not stop us from protecting ourselves.

In addition, I will hold a town hall at Woodmere Art Museum (9201 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia 19118) on Thursday, 26 October from 6pm-8pm. The town hall will focus on issues of gun violence and safety. I encourage you to attend.

On Wednesday 4 October, I joined The Business Center in hosting a very successful Minority Venture Forum at LaSalle University. More than 50 entrepreneurs and small business owners received insight into helping their ventures grow.

Legislation Update

I have recently introduced several new pieces of legislation with bipartisan support to protect us:

Heather Heyer Act: Package of legislation in response to Charlottesville: (1) strengthening maximum penalties for domestic terrorism, and (2) including aggravated assault by vehicle, conspiracy and certain burglaries in the Crime Victims Act.

Domestic Violence Relocation: Allowing a domestic violence victim in public housing to relocate to another apartment, whether under control of the same housing authority or another in the same geographic region, or a housing voucher to do so. (October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month)

Upcoming Events

10/7: Voter Registration Drive in the 4th District (10am)

10/19: Telephone Town Hall with Commissioner John Marks of the Elections Bureau (7pm)

10/26: Town Hall at Woodmere Art Museum (6pm)

Dare to Care,

Art Haywood
State Senator
4th District

Stay in Touch on Social Media

Please follow me on Facebook and Twitter to stay involved and receive live updates on issues and events. Be sure to check out my latest videos on YouTube, my latest photos on Instagram and subscribe to my Participation is Power Podcast!

Offices to Serve You