EASTERN SHORE, Va. — For Eastern Shore residents who want to vote but may have trouble getting to a registrar’s office or polling place, a local volunteer group is offering a simple solution: a free ride.
Eastern Shore Votes is organizing free transportation for voters in Accomack and Northampton counties, helping residents get to their local registrar’s office to register or participate in early voting and to their voting precincts on Election Day.
The group says its goal is straightforward — to make sure transportation does not prevent anyone who wants to participate in an election from casting a ballot.
“Voting is a right which everyone needs to exercise,” Eastern Shore Votes said in announcing the program.
Volunteers have established a system for receiving and dispatching calls from people who need transportation. The organization is also distributing cards and posting fliers throughout the Eastern Shore to make residents aware of the service.
Drivers are standing by to provide the rides.
The free transportation program will operate Sept. 18 through Nov. 3, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Residents may request transportation for:
- Early voting or voter registration: Rides to the appropriate Registrar’s Office.
- Election Day voting: Rides to the voter’s polling precinct.
Need a Ride?
Call Eastern Shore Votes at 1-855-616-RIDE (7433).
The rides are provided free of charge.
The effort is particularly important on the Eastern Shore, where distance and limited transportation options can make getting to government offices or polling locations difficult for some residents. By connecting volunteer drivers with voters who need transportation, Eastern Shore Votes hopes to remove one of those barriers.
The organization has conducted a similar outreach effort during previous election seasons and is again asking local organizations, businesses and media outlets to help spread the word.
For Eastern Shore Votes, the message is simple:
If you want to vote but don’t have a way to get there, call. A ride is waiting.
About the Author
Desperate Dixie-Rats.
A free ride to a polling place to act like an American. Of course someone has an issue with it.
What is a a Dixie Rat?
Is it kinda’ like a Dixie Cat, Pixie Gnat or Tipsy Splat?
A southern democrat.