South Orange, Maplewood Offer Free Rides To And From Polls

MAPLEWOOD/SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – The two towns of South Orange and Maplewood have announced that Black Crown Taxi will be providing free rides to residents to and from any polling location on Tuesday by calling 862-224-2751. No questions will be asked to take advantage of this service. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

“We’re encouraging everyone to vote and trying to eliminate one of the barriers to voter participation which is transportation,” said South Orange Village President Sheena Collum. “We have community members with mobility challenges and some without cars or means of transportation. The weather forecast is showing rain and possible thunderstorms and as we all know, NJ Transit has become complete unreliable. This is a small but important offering to our residents to know they have options to get to and from their polling location.”

In addition to the free rides being offered by the towns, local organizations, houses of worship, and advocacy groups are also providing rides.

“All over the two towns, we’re seeing people making plans to vote with volunteers mobilizing to help one another," Collum said. "Whatever option one chooses is perfectly fine, we just want people to the polls. There is a lot at stake in this election and we need people to show up.”

The free rides are being offered through donations made to Collum’s annual Birthday Fundraiser that she uses each year to support local groups and initiatives. Donations are being accepted on Facebook.

In the 2016 General Election, 64% of eligible voters cast ballots in South Orange and 68 percent of eligible voters cast ballots in Maplewood, Collum said.

Registered voters are assigned a specific election district and polling place according to their street address. Your election district and voting location are printed on the face of your Sample Ballot, which is mailed to registered voters before an election. A voters' polling location may also be searched by accessing the New Jersey Division of Elections Polling Place Locator.

(Image courtesy of Sheena Collum)

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