Linda Brown-Robinson, president of the Syracuse NAACP, began calling voters at 8:52 a.m. They needed rides to the polls.

The Syracuse NAACP hosted its first “Souls to the Polls” event to drive Syracuse voters to and from polling locations on Election Day, for free. Some voters would not have made it to the polls without the rides from the NAACP, Brown-Robinson said.

Brown-Robinson said she believed more voters in Onondaga County are finding reasons to vote, a statistic mirrored nationwide. According to Politico, more than 36 million people voted early in the 2018 midterm elections, compared to the 27.2 million early votes cast in 2014’s midterm.

Voters who participated in “Souls to the Polls” said this election can help elect politicians who will combat the problems they see in local and state governments.

The Syracuse NAACP provided free rides to polling places for the first time on Election Day. Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

Curtis Martin, a deacon at the Tucker Missionary Baptist Church, volunteered as a driver. Martin, a bus driver for Trailways, drove from New York City to Syracuse early Tuesday morning to participate in the NAACP’s event. He slept for one hour the previous night to make it in time.

“(The NAACP) has always been for the people,” Martin said. “Anytime you get to volunteer in the name of God is also a blessing.”

Martin picked up Tammy Reese, a local filmmaker, at her home. For Reese, going out to vote has been important to her family for generations, she said.

Her mother, Donna Reese, was the first woman Syracuse NAACP president. Reese also said how important it was for her grandmother to witness former President Barack Obama’s inauguration before passing away in 2009.

“I was so happy she saw before she passed that history changed,” said Reese, who brought her 9-year-old son, Joshaun, to the polls. Even at a young age, children should witness how they will eventually vote, she said.

Cruz Claudio, a NAACP volunteer, said part of the reason he participated was to bring more Hispanic voters to the polls. After Brown-Robinson wrote out the cold-call speech for other volunteers, Claudio translated it to Spanish so Hispanic voters could participate.

“I’m a strong believer that as a Hispanic, our vote counts,” Claudio said.

Joshaun Reese waits for his mother Tammy to finish filling out her ballot. Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

Voters Jo-Ann Smith, 60, and Rose Miller, 80, said they hope their votes help sustain health care and try to limit as much of President Donald Trump’s agenda as possible. The two women have voted since they were 18 years old, and they believe the nation has been in backward progression, they said.

Smith said she hopes more Democrats get elected into office because she believes they can improve gun control and sustain health care rights.

“There’s so much hatred in the world,” Miller said. “Believe me, I’ve seen it for 80 years.”

Reese, the filmmaker who bused to the polls through the “Souls to the Polls” program, said issues affect minorities whether they want to face it or not, including racism, poverty and violence.

“It’s up to us to speak up for us,” Reese said.

Published on November 6, 2018 at 11:49 pm

Contact Diana: dianar@dailyorange.com