Beautiful Virgin Islands

Sunday, Oct 26, 2025

The Viral Video Of Voters Dancing While Waiting In Line Is Part Of A Movement To Fight Voter Intimidation

The Viral Video Of Voters Dancing While Waiting In Line Is Part Of A Movement To Fight Voter Intimidation

"Nothing and no one is getting in the way of our joy and our vote!"

To break up the monotony of waiting in line for hours at a time in order to cast their vote for the next president of the United States, some are leaning into the thrill - and power - of dance as a way to combat voter suppression.

On Sunday, a clip showcasing a long line of voters in Philadelphia dancing in unison to the "Cha Cha Slide" by DJ Casper, elicited strong positive reactions from people on Twitter, including film director Ava DuVernay and comedian Wanda Sykes.


The delight thousands of people witnessed online was the result of work being done by Nelini Stamp, 32, the director of strategy for the Working Families Party and the campaign director for Election Defenders, a nonpartisan coalition to make sure voters are "staying safe and healthy outside of polling places across the country and bringing them some joy."

"Because voter suppression has been rampant for years, because there has been so much in the media and so much out there about white supremacists and militia intimidation tactics, we figured that this was a year to make sure that people felt motivated to go vote and not feel unsafe," Stamp told BuzzFeed News. "Especially in the middle of a global pandemic."

Stamp's work is two-fold. With Election Defenders, there's the fun aspect: Joy to the Polls - which kicked off Saturday in Pennsylvania for the inaugural Vote Early Day - is a roving concert which highlights local talent.

The other part entails weekly training for thousands of people across all fifty states in deescalation tactics should voters find themselves dealing with intimidation at a polling location.

Music is a form of deescalation, Stamp said, because "it centers the mood in something else."


Stamp said that while "it feels good" to see the clips of voters dancing being celebrated online, she wished it wasn't something people had to do in the first place.

"That person should not have to have to wait in line for an hour," she said.

"However, we wanted to do something good for those people [standing in line]," she said. "And it felt really good that that person and those folks who saw — whether it was the Cha Cha Slide or the Wobble or people doing the Electric Slide, it at least brought them some joy and some relief in a process that wasn't meant for us, especially Black and brown people."

A few members of the Resistance Revival Chorus, a collective of women, non-binary artists and activists who "join together to breathe joy and song into the resistance," participated in the viral moment.

The chorus is the kind of local talent Stamp wants to benefit with the Joy to the Polls initiative.

Because of the pandemic, many creatives have not been able to do their typical gigs in order to make money. Stamp, partnering with local talent, is able to "actually give them a stipend" which is "like putting fuel into the artists' community again."

Stamp also described what healthy polling looks like, saying, "It's everything from like setting a tone, body language, the vocal tones of your voice, making sure that folks feel a little bit more calm in a very tense environment that we shouldn't even have, because we should actually have efficient ways to vote."

Stamp said folks standing in line are also provided with PPE, water, and hand warmers should they need them.


Voters dancing while waiting in line in Philadelphia as part of the Joy To The Polls initiative.


Historically, people of color in the United States have experienced disenfranchisement when it comes to voting — an issue that continues to this day.

That, coupled with concerns about voter intimidation after President Trump called on his supporters to watch the polls and "defend" the ballot and also told the Proud Boys, a far-right violent group, to "stand back and stand by" last month, contributes to people of color fearing for their safety while casting their ballot.

Online, people admired the dancers and voters for leaning into happiness despite the circumstances.


"We rise. Always," DuVernay said on Twitter.


Writer Shanita Hubbard said that while Black people are fighting against voter suppression, they're also fighting to "preserve our joy."


 


 


 


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
×