You’ve probably seen the red trolleys, their wooden pews full of tourists as they embark on a meandering trip through Fredericksburg’s historic downtown district and nearby battlefield.
But this past Tuesday, there was just one stop on its civically-minded route.
Approximately every 30 minutes, a trolley arrived at the Dorothy Hart Community Center, letting out University of Mary Washington students who’d boarded at the bell tower on campus. Dorothy Hart serves as the precinct for all students registered to vote with an address on UMW’s campus.
The free transit was the work of UMW Votes, a nonpartisan club that operates out of the university’s Department of Community Engagement, said student organizer Tonia Attie.
UMW has offered students free rides to the polls for at least the past three years through a partnership with Trolley Tours of Fredericksburg, said Attie, and the school also cancels classes to participate in a larger “Day on Democracy” movement.
“Essentially, every year what we do is celebrate civic engagement,” Attie said. “We’ll offer free rides to the polls, voter information all throughout the semester and get students to create a positive atmosphere around voting.”
Around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Kendrick Lamar blared on a speaker near the belltower as students milled about a series of tables offering everything from voter registration information to free rubber ducks. For this 30-something reporter, the message was clear: they’re not like us.
UMW freshman Sophia Woodyard, however, appreciated the uniquely Gen Z celebration of civic engagement.
“The inside was kind of decorated nicely,” she said of the trolley. “It was just fun to ride through the city also and know we were going to go vote. It was just a fun experience to be with my roommates for our first time voting.”
Fellow freshman Morgan Hamm said she learned about the free rides to the polls from the UMW Votes Instagram page. Attie said the organization also visits classes at the invitation of professors and holds tabling events throughout the semester to promote its various initiatives, including voter registration.
“The way they’re advertising makes it a fun thing to do and makes people want to vote,” said Kaitlyn Ferris, a UMW freshman. “It’s just a great advantage for us to have here.”
Ferris noted that while there were likely opposing political viewpoints aboard the trolley, she and her fellow students agreed that they were embarking on a righteous journey by taking advantage of the free resource.
“Even if you’re around people that you don’t have the same views as you, it’s still participating in democracy and feeling that community and the fellowship doing what you know is right,” she said.
The numbers reflect an increased level of engagement on campus. By the time polls closed at 7 p.m., the trolley had ferried 295 UMW student voters — more than doubling last year’s total, Attie said.
“It’s making sure everybody has their voices heard, which is very important on a college campus,” Hamm said.
