Two friends urge voter registration with Phoenix First Friday project
As the voter registration deadline for next month's elections approaches, Steve Weiss and Joe Brklacich saw First Friday as the ideal opportunity to use a projector to display messages encouraging people to vote.
Weiss, a 68-year-old independent film programmer, and Brklacich thoughtfully considered what would draw attention at a large event like First Friday, held on the first Friday of each month in Downtown Phoenix, and both agreed that using a projector was the perfect approach.
In the sweltering heat, with temperatures over 100 degrees, the men sat in the back of Brklacich's electric truck. They positioned the projector from the truck bed, casting voting messages onto the building across the street, where the old Firehouse once stood on First Street.
The goal, the men explained, was to spread the message to vote among Millennials and Gen Z age groups that are more likely to attend First Friday events and could be potential voters.
"We're single handedly saving democracy this evening," Brklacich joked, as he looked over the milling crowd.
Message to encourage voters
A handful of different messages rotated through the carousel.
Among the messages, one said, "Equality is on the ballot," and featured a QR code that, when scanned, directed users to a voter registration page.
Another message displayed the quote "Democracy requires duty" above a QR code, which Weiss noted was his favorite.
Yet another said, "Be the change."
People periodically stopped to scan the QR code or to take a picture with the projected sign.
"We're just doing our little part to get out the vote," Brklacich said.
The projection was part of a series of other installations Weiss had helped organize throughout downtown Phoenix, including one at the Kookie Kraft storefront, located next to Bikini Lounge on Grand Avenue and 15th Avenue.
The artists came up with the graphic concepts and as a result of the project, also became involved with voting. Weiss said he doesn't have any idea what the effect will be, but that what matters is people are getting involved, using the talents and skillsets that they have.
"Everything in this election is so critical."
For Brklacich, witnessing the impact of the 2016 election prompted him to take action. Many of his friends had opted to vote for third-party candidates, like Jill Stein, while some even chose to withhold their votes entirely as a form of protest.
In 2020, it became evident to both Brklacich and Weiss what a mistake that was, they said.
"We put on a real press. We got friends in our circle to vote for Biden that hadn't voted in an election. Arizona was just 11,000 votes and it made all the difference," Brklacich said.
Though Weiss and Brklacich have very strong political ideologies, what's most important to them is getting people interested in how impactful this particular election will be.
"We're trying to find something as bipartisan as we can," Weiss said, "Certainly, don't miss out on voting."
They spent considerable time contemplating their messaging, debating whether to focus on persuading like-minded voters or to promote a broader message about voting in general.
"At an event like this, you're much more likely to reach out to the people we're hoping to get to like Gen Z voters and people who are concerned about the future," Brklacich said.
For Weiss, it's crucial for voters to recognize that this election will reshape the state legislature, alter the presidential landscape, and significantly influence women's rights to choose.
"Everything in this election is so critical. That makes it so much easier to come out on a hot night." Weiss said. "To be able to vote is a huge thing, it's an enormous thing, and I treasured it from the time I was 18 during the Vietnam War."
As someone walked by, they made a cheers gesture toward the two operating the projector on the parking structure deck. In response, Weiss and Brklacich raised their hands in a cheers salute.
"That's why we're out here on the top deck of a parking structure, tailgating for democracy," Brklacich said, laughing.
