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'Souls to the Polls' organizes car caravan for voters

Voter Caravan in KCK.jpg
Posted at 1:39 PM, Jul 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-11 18:58:53-04

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — It's a socially distanced way to get out the vote in Kansas City, Kansas.

"This is called a rolling billboard. Cruising for voters," said Dr. Elizabeth Ann Sanders, committee chair of Souls to the Polls.

The caravan of cars in KCK hoped to help voters register before Tuesday's deadline and then get them to the polls for the August 4 primary.

"Today we will have three different car caravans that will go through Ward 9-6, Ward 11-8, and Ward 11-5. How were they selected? They have a large number of registered voters who had a low voter turnout," Dr. Sanders said.

Wyandotte County saw 25 percent voter turnout in the 2018 primary and then 49 persent turnout in the 2018 general election, according to Kansas Board of Election data. Saturday's caravan not only included eligible voters, but also those hoping to increase the turnout numbers.

"I’m not going to be able to vote this year because I turn 18 right after the voting date, but it really takes our voices. We are the future," says 17-year-old Kayla Martinez, a student at St. Thomas Aquinas. She's also focused on another voting group.

"I’m here to really encourage Latinos. I’m a Latina. I hear a lot of Latinos that they won’t make a change, they can’t make a change, I know that we can," Martinez said.

These drivers emphasize that the registration process is easy.

"ksvotes.org, you can register on your phone in less than five minutes, Dr. Sanders said, adding a promise to return this Fall.

"We will have another caravan just before the general election."