Two groups offer rides to the polls
Two groups offered free rides to the polls on Election Day.
Published Nov. 5, 2008
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Seventh-grader Charity Gant, assistant secretary of the youth section of NAACP, runs outside the Second Baptist Church to put up a sign encouraging people to vote.
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Missouri NAACP President Mary Ratliff and seventh-grader Charity Gant, the assistant secretary of the youth section of NAACP, speak with Columbia residents Mary Kennedy and Jimmie Sutton on Tuesday in an effort to get out the vote. Several local organizations, including Services for Independent Living, provided rides to the polls and voter education on Election Day.
Several organizations focused on "get out the vote" efforts on Election Day by offering rides to the polls and providing voters with last-minute information.
Services for Independent Living provided transportation for people with disabilities, but the ride must have been scheduled 24 hours in advance.
Saleem Bilal, a bus driver for SIL, said last year there were no calls for rides to the polls, but there was increased interest this year.
Matt Nack and Dawn Zeterberg were two of the passengers who used SIL for a ride to the poll. Nack said he was going to cast votes for Democratic candidates.
"I'm tired of Republicans and what they are doing to the little guys," Nack said. "People like me and Dawn who are less than fortunate are left to fend for ourselves."
He also said the service SIL provides is crucial to his lifestyle as Zeterberg's "right-hand person."
"This service is important to me, but it's more important that it's provided to people with more limited mobility," he said.
The Missouri chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People also offered rides to the polls, but focused more on sending volunteers to encourage citizens to vote.
Missouri NAACP President Mary Ratliff and seventh-grader Charity Gant, the assistant secretary of the youth section of NAACP, took an hour of their day to go out.
The pair stopped wherever a collection of people had gathered, including the Boone County Resource Center and Progressive Missionary Baptist Church, to pass out fliers that informed people of their rights as voters.
"Today is a historical occasion," Ratliff said.
After questioning people about whether they had voted, she informed them about the free ride to the polls or the rally the group hosted last night at Second Baptist Church.
At about noon, Ratliff pulled into Douglass Park to talk to a group of men who were smoking and drinking and talking to one another.
After spending some time with the men, she retuned to the car.
"That was a good stop," she said. "They were all excited."
Later on, NAACP volunteers went door-to-door and spoke to voters.
Ratliff said most of the people the volunteers spoke to throughout the day had already voted, which could be verified by the "I Voted" stickers they wore.
Missouri NAACP Vice President Pamela Hardin said she considered the day a success.
"Everywhere we went, we found that people have been able to get out to the polls," she said.
By 11 a.m., the Marshall branch of NAACP called in and reported a 33 percent turnout.
Ratliff said she did not know how many people would vote.
"I just know it's going to be off the hook," she said.
12:38 p.m., Nov. 2, 2010
Lillian Bittaye said:
There is a couple in KC, Mo who needs a ride to the polls. I am now living in the ATL, and do not know how to help them find a ride. I found your info online, and decided to email you their names and phone number, so maybe someone can get them there before the polls close. Thanks They are the Grants, and their number is 1-816-523-5554.