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One local taxi company may be going the furthest in its efforts to do its civic duty. It will be offering free rides to and from the polls today in Beaufort, Bluffton, Port Royal, Savannah and on Hilton Head Island.
During the last presidential election in 2004, Robert Dumm, owner of Beaufort-based A Taxi Cab Co., gave Beaufort voters without means to get to the polls rides in his company's first licensed cab.
In the last four years, his company has grown from a small single-cab operation, adding eight cars and expanding into several municipalities and the state of Georgia. Now, Dumm wants to make free Election Day rides a tradition.
"People might say, 'Oh, I couldn't get to the polls,' but I don't want to hear that," he said Monday.
A Taxi Cab Co. isn't supporting any political party, and there won't be political paraphernalia in the cabs. Dumm says all he wants to do is make it easier for people to perform their civic duty in a presidential contest he describes in historic terms.
"This election is the most important of our time," he said.
To schedule a ride, call A Taxi Cab Co. at 843-524-4940. Reservations will be made on a first-come, first-serve basis, due to the limited number of cabs.
FREE STUFF FOR VOTERS
For voters, there will be a few other freebies available today.
• The Hilton Head Comedy Club is offering free admission to the 8 p.m. Election Night show for anyone with proof that they've voted. Tim Walkoe, a national comic and winner on ABC's "America's Funniest People," is headlining.
• Chick-Fil-A, with locations in Bluffton and Beaufort, is offering a free sandwich to anyone with a sticker proving they've voted.
• Similarly, area Starbucks stores are giving customers a free tall drip coffee. The company was giving away the coffee only to voters, but has since changed to everyone who asks because election law forbids giving free items to persuade or dissuade voting.
BRING AN UMBRELLA
There's a 40 percent chance of rain today.
Experts have said that in previous elections bad weather has discouraged people from coming out to vote, but University of South Carolina political science professor Blease Graham said Monday that rule of thumb won't apply this time around because of the intense interest in the presidential contest.
"There's at least a general feeling that rain or bad weather deters voting ... but I would discount that in this election because there's a lot of enthusiasm and get-out-the-vote activities," Graham said.
