Funeral Homes to Offer Free Rides to the Polls This Week

Funeral director David Hawkins, owner of Joe Morris & Sons Funeral Home in Pensacola, Florida, is offering voters rides to the polls.
Credit: phj.com

Nov. 3, 2020, is Election Day in the U.S., and despite the option for mail-in voting in many states, thousands of people are still in need of a ride to the polls. This is especially true of seniors, the disabled, and other vulnerable populations, many of whom either don’t own a vehicle, don’t drive, or live many miles from the nearest polling place. Insofar as many of these same people are at high risk of severe complications from COVID-19, their transportation options are even more limited now than they were in previous election years. 

To help address this pressing need, the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association is urging funeral directors across the U.S. to avoid holding funerals on Election Day in order to free up the limousines they usually use to transport funeral attendees to take people to their polling places. According to Hari P. Close, the national president of the NFDMA and the owner of Hari P. Close Funeral Service in Baltimore, Maryland, the organization hopes to help up to 300,000 people in cities across the country exercise their right to vote. Although the initiative is aimed primarily at seniors, anyone who needs a ride will get one, Close said in a statement to the Bangor Daily News. 

The limos will be sanitized inside and out, and all drivers and passengers will be required to wear masks, Close explained. There will also be sanitized chairs available for seniors or disabled people to sit on if they need to wait in line at their polling place. 

A Longstanding Tradition 

The initiative is a longstanding tradition in Baltimore, where it has been in place for over 25 years. According to Close, the number of riders peaked at 300,000 in 2008 and 2012, when voters twice elected Barack Obama to the presidency. It dropped to about 80,000 in 2016 but is expected to peak again this year. 

Credit: toledoblade.com

For many generations, funeral homes have been instrumental in helping Black voters get to the polls in largely African-American cities such as Baltimore. “We are now the above-ground railroad to get people to the polls, no matter where they stand on issues,” Close said. “I know people in my family history that have been denied the vote or lost lives trying to vote. It’s a privilege as well as a responsibility.” He expects the organization to provide rides to about 21,000 voters in Baltimore alone next week. 

Rides will also be available in Miami, Kansas City, Los Angeles and Detroit. To learn more or to request a ride, visit the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association website and select the tab Limos to the Polls.