Souls to the Polls will offer free, early voting shuttle service in Fort Wayne.
The Fort Wayne chapters of the NAACP, the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and partner churches are sponsoring the service.
Free shuttle rides will be offered from area churches, and are available to anyone who needs help getting to early voting centers.
Organizers announced the event Monday evening outside the Public Safety Academy. The program is part of a national movement, but it has not recently been active in Fort Wayne.
Steve Lanier is the president of the NAACP Branch 3049.
"This is the first time we've actually collaborated and come together for this. Leadership leads, but we're also servant leaders," he said.
Fort Wayne Urban League President Aisha Arrington drew a direct line from the work of historic organizers during the Civil Rights era to the present day.
"The right to vote is more than a civic responsibility. It is the cornerstone of our freedom, our dignity, and our ability to shape our own future," Arrington told the small crowd assembled for the launch.
And it was really important this year to bring the initiative back to the community, to get those registered to the polls, she said.
Allen County's early vote locations jumped from two to seven on Monday in this last remaining week before the midterm elections.
Details about the remaining shuttle days, which are free and non-partisan are as follows:
Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and then again from 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Churches serving as hubs for the shuttles are Community Baptist Church, New Zion Tabernacle, Pilgrim Baptist Church,
and Redemption Church Fort Wayne.
Registration: Required, with limited space, at https://forms.gle/rXWfYrUdpF9dPaHM7 or by calling Michael Bailey Jr. at (765) 337-1473.
