Schools, firehouses, and churches spring to mind when most people think of typical American polling places. But in Philadelphia, voters are just as likely to pull the lever in bars, basements, bakeries and funeral homes.

In this old East Coast city, dominated by ward politics and a powerful Democratic party machine, many polling places are housed in some rather offbeat locations.

Behind the Curtain offers an insider’s look at the neighborhood joints where American democracy is practiced in the City of Brotherly Love.