At Litzenberger House polling station, where some Lehigh students have been waiting as long as two hours to vote for the next president of the United States, Next Generation Climate Pennsylvania has been providing buses to the polls and pizza to those waiting on line.
Representatives from NextGen Climate are going back and forth between Litzenberger House and Oliverio’s, a Bethlehem pizzeria, to provide food for the potential voters. It has also commissioned members of the Peaceable Kingdom Shelter to bring dogs for people to play with while in line.
Michael Celente, ’19G, said the reason for NextGen Climate’s actions may be because of lines that are significantly longer than they were four years ago. Celente voted at Litzenberger House during the last election at a similar time of day, around noon, and was able to walk right in the door.
The buses that are being provided are driving a route that stops at Packer Avenue, Johnson Hall, Rathbone Hall and ends at Litzenberger House. Emad Girgis, one of the drivers, said mostly students were taking advantage of the service and no political conflicts had arisen in his bus.
NextGen Climate, which is a political organization that focuses primarily on environmental issues, has spent $7 million over the course of 2016 in Pennsylvania in its efforts.
Getting students to vote: @NextGenClimate has dogs and pizza while @LehighU students wait and is helping bus them to polling locations. pic.twitter.com/rCNF5Yrrs9
— The Brown and White (@LUBrownWhite) November 8, 2016
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