On Wednesday, November 4, as Americans waited anxiously for election results, hundreds of Lancastrians congregated at Penn Square, protesting the two Republican County Commissioners’ decision to delay counting mail-in ballots. Many attendees wore sweatshirts, beanies, and masks reading “Count Every Vote.” Nearly all of the eight speakers, who consisted of local clergy, politicians, and organizers, decried voter suppression and excoriated what they saw as local and national Republicans’ pandering to Trump and attempts to sabotage democracy. 

Local social justice organizations Lancaster Stands Up and CASA Lancaster organized the event, attracting a broad, diverse coalition of Lancaster County residents both young and old, progressive and moderate. Former Congressional candidate Jess King kicked the night off, followed by other community leaders such as Lancaster NAACP President Blanding Watson, Pastor Gerald Simmons of Faith Tabernacle Church of God, and Jasmine Sanchez, a Puerto Rican member of CASA who spoke in Spanish and voted in Pennsylvania for the first time. Rafael Diaz of Lancaster Stands Up, the event’s MC, translated her speech, in which she passionately stated, “No one should have to choose between their life and their vote.” 

But while the event was certainly a moment for coming together, the ideological divisions of the left were apparent. Frances Brogan, a member of the local high school branch of Sunrise, a climate justice movement, spoke about holding Biden accountable. In his speech, Ismail Smith-Wade-El, president of the Lancaster City Council, declared, “Elections determine the battleground on which we fight,” a sentiment embraced by leftists and largely disputed by the Democratic establishment. 

Many attendees of the Wednesday event returned to the square on Saturday to celebrate Trump’s loss. Organized by Lancaster High School Sunrise, with help from Becca Rast and Jonathan Smucker of Lancaster Stands Up, the event featured about half an hour of speeches, open mic time, and then a mass dance party that lasted over two hours. Local favorite, DJ Salinger played favorites like “Celebration” and “Party in the USA” while the crowd screamed the lyrics and challenged each other to exuberant dance-offs. 16-year-old MC Jaden Kennett, a McCaskey sophomore, enthusiastically encouraged the mostly teenage speakers before wowing the crowd with his backflips in a dance circle. 

But while the joyful atmosphere was palpable, speakers and attendees both emphasized the need to continue the fight for progressive policies and an equitable future, regardless of the president in office. “Stay vigilant, we have a lot of work to do,” said Lancaster Stands Up organizer Eliza Booth, before leading the crowd in an rendition of “Hit the Road, Jack” (targeted at President Trump, of course).

Soleil Yodersalim, a 10th grader at Lancaster Mennonite High School and one of the events’ organizers, described the planning process as “hectic” due to constantly changing election updates, but gushed about the event’s success. However, she warned against complacence. “It will take mass action across the country to push [Biden] to deliver us a Green New Deal, to defund the police, and for a country that works for the young, people of color, and the working class,” she said, citing some of Sunrise’s priorities. “It doesn’t just end with a single electoral victory.”