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New polling location opens at NKCDC on Ruth Street in Kensington

Kensington resident Gwen Collier-Jefferson advocated for NKCDC to open a polling place due to challenges people reported finding the previous location.

From left to right: Janell Collier-Montgomery, Francesca Avilos, Takia Smith, and Gwen Collier-Jefferson work at a new 25th Ward polling place at the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) on Ruth Street on Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Sammy Caiola)

A new polling location near the Somerset SEPTA station in Kensington had received about 128 voters by 4:30 p.m. today.

The New Kensington Community Development Center (NKCDC) on Ruth Street opened its doors at 7 a.m. on Election Day for residents of the city’s 25th Ward. 

That 25th Ward previously had a polling place at the Community Center at Visitation at 2646 Kensington Ave., said poll worker Gwen Collier-Jefferson. 

However, the polling area there was located behind a curtain, making it difficult for people to find, she said. So Collier-Jefferson advocated for NKCDC to open a polling location.

“[We opened this] to alleviate them not knowing, to move us inside,” she said. 

Collier-Jefferson, a longtime Kensington resident and community health worker, works the polls every year with her aunt and cousin.

NKCDC staff promoted the new polling place by word of mouth, she said.

Throughout the year, NKCDC offers housing, job services, and small business assistance.

Polls are open until 8 p.m. Click here to find your polling place. 

This story is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Lead support for Every Voice, Every Vote in 2024 and 2025 is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, Comcast NBC Universal, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Henry L. Kimelman Family Foundation, Judy and Peter Leone, Arctos Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, 25th Century Foundation, and Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation. To learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters, visit www.everyvoice-everyvote.org. Editorial content is created independently of the project’s donors.

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