Local DJs Set Up Outside 56 Columbus Polling Sites Tuesday

Voters in Columbus and Reynoldsburg can expect to hear music outside their polling locations on Tuesday. The nonpartisan organization DJs at the Polls will station local disc jockeys at 56 sites in the area during Election Day voting.

Isaac David, a Columbus resident known professionally as DJ ISD, will work two shifts on the Near East Side. He plans to play pop music and other tracks that keep listeners energized at the Blackburn Community Center in the morning. In the afternoon, he will move to The King Arts Complex. David said he wants the voting process to feel welcoming, especially after a year filled with intense political advertising.

"I would love to see people excited, especially coming in just happy to hear music and happy to just be able to exercise their right to vote," David said.

Anton Moore launched DJs at the Polls in Philadelphia in 2009. He originally believed that voting was a dull process and that music could encourage people to participate. For the 2026 election, the group is paying approximately 2,000 DJs to play at 5,000 polling locations across 24 states. Moore explained that Ohio was selected because of its high-profile contests.

"We try to send our DJs to places where it's big races. And Ohio happened to be one of them," Moore said.

The state faces two major races that have drawn national attention. The governor's contest pits Republican Vivek Ramaswamy against Democrat Dr. Amy Acton. This race has been covered for its personal attack ads and high spending levels. The Cook Political Report currently rates the race as leaning Democrat. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Republican Jon Husted and former Democrat Sherrod Brown remains too close to call.

Moore hopes the music will help voters understand what is at stake. "I'd like some people to understand what's at stake. You know what I mean?" he said. "There's a lot of things going on in the world right now and we need people to be involved. We need people to vote and I think that's important." A spokesperson said the group has hired about 270 Ohioans for the event. In addition to Columbus, DJs are scheduled to play in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, and Akron.