A retired teacher drives a van up and down Broad Street to remind people to vote.

With several stops along the way, the large white van, decorated with American flags and loud, upbeat music, makes two runs a day up and down Broad Street.

“Vote for Philadelphia!” says a giant sign.

At one landmark or another—the Olney Transportation Center, City Hall—Luigi Borda might pop up, clipboard in hand, intent on carrying out his mission: asking people to take a survey about why they vote or why they don’t vote.

With the next election days away, multiple voting rights efforts are underway in Pennsylvania, a key swing state. But retired Philadelphia teacher Borda is unique: He dug deep into his pocket to buy a used van and now spends much of his time before Nov. 5 asking people across the city to honk their horns to show their appreciation for voting.

Why is grassroots effort needed?

“I love Philadelphia,” said Borda, a gregarious South Philadelphia resident who taught at Masterman for most of his 30-year career in the School District of Philadelphia. “But it’s very frustrating to hear neighbors, family members and even spouses fight over candidates who come and go.”

People need to hear why missing elections could harm them, Borda said, and voting twice a year should become a habit; It is not necessary to hold a presidential election to attract people to the polls, especially since local elections have a big impact on people’s daily lives.

Typical voter turnout is low; in most elections, there are more registered voters who do not vote in Philadelphia than those who do.

Changing that dynamic is “my life’s goal,” said Borda, 58, who once ran 100 miles to Harrisburg to raise awareness among lawmakers about the need for education funding and who ran unsuccessfully for a city commissioner seat in 2019. “We should have a goal of three out of four voters voting regularly.”

So Borda is driving, the loudspeakers are blaring. (He has four songs on repeat: Rocky themes: “Philadelphia Freedom”, “Nothing Can Stop Us Now” and “Life in America”).

And he asks people to take his survey; he strives for 1000 responses and there will be use data to inform Philly Civics 101, a program he developed that pairs elected officials with city social studies teachers to help students understand how local government works and show them that their participation matters.

“If I didn’t vote, I wouldn’t have a voice.”

Borda parked outside City Hall on a sunny Thursday and then happened to spot state Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) walking toward the northeast corner of the building. Borda rushed across the street, stopped Street and asked him to scan the survey code and enter the answers into his phone.

“I appreciate Luigi’s enthusiasm,” said Street, who knows Borda as a Democratic committeeman. (Borda’s poll and efforts are strictly nonpartisan; he doesn’t ask people who they vote for, but rather whether they learned about voting at school or at home.)

Borda then approached the woman, who turned out to be Shakeda Gaines, chief of staff to Councilwoman Kendra Brooks.

Gaines happily took the survey and said she loves Borda’s mission. Long before she worked in politics, she said, Gaines was a regular voter because of a conversation she once had with a co-worker while she was working at Burger King.

“He said my landlord voted, the supermarket owner voted, and if I didn’t vote, I didn’t have a vote,” Gaines said.

Hardly anyone admits to not voting, Borda said, but everyone has an opinion about why others don’t vote: They don’t like politicians, some tell him; perhaps they don’t know much about most candidates and issues, or maybe they don’t feel like their vote matters.

But every Borda person wants to stop this tide.

Borda loves all sports in Philadelphia, so he wants people to think about voting this way: whether the Sixers win depends largely on whether Joel Embiid is healthy; fans cannot make three-point shots or play defense. But a city with more than a million voters has discretion.

“But whether Philadelphia wins or not is up to us,” Borda said. “When Philadelphia votes, Philadelphia wins.”

His plans for Election Day are set: Borda plans to travel around the perimeter of the city and visit as many districts as possible, as well as at least one polling station in all 69 districts.