Chair Omar Sabir (D)
Biography of Commissioner Omar Sabir
Omar Sabir was elected on November 5, 2019, and sworn in as City Commissioner of the County of Philadelphia on January 6, 2020. In 2024, he was voted Chairman by the other two Commissioners. As Chairman, he is committed to empowering all Philadelphians to participate in the voting process, tackling voter apathy, and educating communities on civic engagement..
A lifelong advocate for the people, Chairman Sabir previously served as a senior staffer in the Office of Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes and held leadership roles with the Nathaniel Sabir Memorial Scholarship Fund, Citizens for State Representative Louise Williams Bishop, and the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania. He began his career as a union construction worker, gaining firsthand insight into the needs of working families.
Chairman Sabir created several grassroots initiatives to boost civic participation, including Humanitarian Heroes, which helped send 35,000 bottles of water to Jackson, Mississippi, in partnership with ShopRite and Nestlé. He also founded the Octavius Catto Taskforce to highlight voter registration, the impact of elections, and the fight against voter suppression. In 2024, he launched Platinum Voters, an initiative focused on helping older voters register and receive voter education.
He has been featured in major media outlets such as CNN, MSNBC, 60 Minutes, The New York Times, Politico, Al Jazeera, and Showtime’s The Circus. He was recently named one of Philadelphia’s Most Influential African Americans by the Philadelphia Tribune and commended by President Joseph R. Biden for his work supporting voter participation.
Chairman Sabir founded Vote Philly Vote, which aims to raise voter turnout to over 90% in all city elections. He is a graduate of Cheyney University and the University of Pennsylvania’s DiverseForce On Boards program. He is a proud husband and father of 7 children and a lifelong Philadelphian.