Patti Smith surprises New York voters with a sidewalk performance of “People Have The Power”

Some lucky early voters in New York City got a surprise serenade from Patti Smith while they waited in line last week. Smith was joined by her longtime bandmate Lenny Kaye for an impromptu performance of her 1988 classic, “People Have The Power,” energizing the crowd. “Don’t forget it!,” says Smith after the song. “Use your voice! Vote!”

Watch a video of the performance below. Joy to the Polls is a non-partisan effort to make voting safe and exciting, with pop-up performances like this one entertaining voting crowds around the country this election season. Learn more about their work and make your own #JoyToThePolls playlist here.

Polls here in Pennsylvania are open until 8 p.m. on Election Day. Visit votespa.com for information on how to vote.

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⚡️ The People Have the Power⚡️ Singing to voters in the streets is so punk! We love @thisispattismith bringing people power to the polls with this impromptu performance in NYC earlier this week. You don’t have to be the Godmother of Punk to surprise and delight voters in long voting lines! How are you bringing #JoyToThePolls on Tuesday? Check out the link in our bio for a toolkit for artists and performers. Repost @zoe_leonard_studio

A post shared by #JoyToThePolls (@joytothepolls) on Nov 1, 2020 at 12:30pm PST