Tomorrow, Wednesday, Sept. 2, local residents will hold a vigil at Ballard Commons Park to honor those who organizers say are "suffering under the current healthcare system."

The vigil will put the focus of the healthcare debate back onto real people and show that Washington State cannot afford to wait for health care reform, according to a release from MoveOn.org.

More than 300 vigils will be held nationwide on the same evening, also organized by members of MoveOn.org Political Action, along with the Center for Community Change, Democracy for America, Doctors for America, Health Care for American Now, and TrueMajority.

Organizers said in the media release that more than 100 residents have already signed up to attend the community event. Vigil participants will light candles, hold pictures, and share the names and stories of those suffering under the current healthcare system.

At the Ballard vigil, participants will add their photos and stories to a large wall to demonstrate the desperate need for a real public health insurance option.

“As the names and stories shared here show, Washington State cannot afford to wait for a real public health insurance option," said Jo Ardinger, a local MoveOn member. "Everyday that we wait to pass health care reform with a public option, more people are denied life-saving medical treatment, dropped from their insurance coverage, or buried under medical bills. We’re calling on Congress to pass the health care reform we need as soon as they return to Washington. The longer we wait, the more people suffer.”

The Vigil to support a Public Health Insurance Option is Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. at Ballard Commons Park 5701 22nd Ave. N.W.,