Souls to the Polls free Election Day rides
MILWAUKEE - Tuesday, April 5 is the spring general election in Wisconsin, and organizations are pushing people to the polls and making sure they are informed.
At 29th and North in Milwaukee Monday, canvassers went door-to-door a day before Milwaukee voters will select the city's first new mayor in nearly two decades. Their focus was informing voters and asking about the issues important to them. They've been working every day for nearly three weeks.
"Just to try to build up some energy for this mayoral election," said Rev. Gregory Lewis, Souls to the Polls. "It’s historical!"
Rev. Lewis is the executive director of Souls to the Polls. Since 2018, the organization has been providing free rides to voters on Election Day.
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"You can’t even express the feeling when you take someone to that voting poll, and they make that vote and you see the smile on their faces," said Rev. Lewis.
They want to make voting as easy as possible after a dismal turnout in the primary. This time around, more than 8,500 people have already voted in-person absentee in the city.
"Which is about 3,000 more than we saw in February, so we’re hoping that means we’ll have increased turnout tomorrow," said Claire Woodall-Vogg, Milwaukee Election Commission. "We’re hoping, based on these early voting numbers and the absentee ballots returned, that we’ll see between 25-30% turnout on Tuesday."
Rev. Lewis is hoping his efforts and this organization push that even higher.
"It’s not where we’d like to be, but it’s a whole better than it would’ve been," said Rev. Lewis.
The polls are open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Remember to bring your photo ID. If you need a ride to the polls, you're invited to call Souls to the Polls at 414-383-1821.
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