Older voters (those that are 55 or older) that were worried about safely getting to the polls at the beginning of November while avoiding the coronavirus were offered a stylish, unconventional transportation option: a free limo ride, courtesy of funeral homeowners in Baltimore and around the country.
Local funeral home directors in Baltimore said they hoped to transport up to 21,000 people in Baltimore to voting booths for the Nov. 3 election, part of an effort by the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association to offer rides to as many as 300,000 people nationwide.
Participating funeral homes used their non-hearse fleet vehicles—often SUVs or luxury passenger vans—to transport riders to the polls, and practiced safety measures to guard against coronavirus transmission.
Details
The National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association (NFDMA) and the National Urban League partnered to provide free limo rides to the polls for voters over the age of 55 in Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The Baltimore Sun reported that in the 2008 and 2012 elections, the funeral homes transported upward of 300,000 people to vote. For this year’s election, interested voters were able to fill out a request form where they can specify whether they’d like to ride in a limousine, SUV, or passenger van.
And it’s not Just Funeral Homes
Nashville limo service Judah Elite also offered rides to the polls for early voting the last week of October and on Election Day as it has done for the past decade, saying it doesn’t want to leave anyone without an excuse as to why they didn’t vote.
History and Importance
The initiative has helped get people to the polls in Baltimore for 25 years, and ridership peaked on election days in 2008 and 2012, Close said. He emphasized that transportation was even more crucial this year as people attempt to vote safely during the pandemic and may have to travel farther with reduced polling places.
The program is geared primarily to people aged 55 or over, but does not deny any request for transportation.
“Now we’re the above ground railroad to get people to the polls, no matter where they stand on issues,” said Hari P. Close, the organization’s national president and owner of Hari P. Close Funeral Service in Northeast Baltimore. “Whether I agree or disagree is not important. The point is they need to exercise the vote. I know people in my family history that have been denied the vote or lost lives trying to vote. This is a privilege as well as a responsibility.”
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a34497410/limo-ride-to-polls-seniors-funeral-home/