Funeral homes to continue tradition of transporting elderly to voting booths Nov. 3
On Election Day, funeral directors everywhere will be focused on the living — the living voters, that is.
In keeping with a 25-year-old tradition, the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association is gearing up to drive elderly voters across the nation to the polls on Nov. 3 in limousines (no hearses).
The group will offer free rides in Baltimore, Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles, Kansas City and other cities, the group told The Baltimore Sun. In all they could transport as many as 300,000 people, The Sun reported.
That’s the number of people who were driven to the polls in the elections of 2008 and 2012, the group’s president, Hari P. Close, told The Sun. Four years ago it went down to 80,000, he said. While it’s offered mainly to people age 55 and up, anyone who needs a ride can get it, said Close, who owns Hari P. Close Funeral Service in Baltimore.
This year, casting a vote is more important than ever, he told the newspaper. He also asked funeral homes not to schedule services on Election Day, putting the focus on the living.
“Now we’re the above ground railroad to get people to the polls, no matter where they stand on issues,” Close told The Sun. “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.”
