A big, bright red, white and blue passenger bus hit the road from the nation?s capital with stops in Annapolis and Baltimore before heading to other cities this week.
Its task: register and educate voters as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Vote for Business Bandwagon” tour. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce partnered with the Maryland Chamber of Commerce for the bus stops in the Free State.
“The goal is to educate, motivate and turn out our members this fall,” said Bill Miller, vice president and national political director for the U.S. chamber. “This tour takes our voter education efforts to a whole new level. By partnering with state and local chambers and our members in targeted areas, we will be able to mobilize and educate voters for the critical midterm elections.”
The U.S. Chamber represents and lobbies on behalf of about 3 million businesses and organizations.
The bus campaign will head to 12 states in 27 days, including Maryland, where it plans to educate voters as well as endorse candidates, according to statement announcing the campaign.
In Maryland, the tour endorsed Lt. Gov. Michael Steele in his bid for a U.S. Senate from Maryland.
Vote for Business Bandwagon is the most aggressive get-out-the-vote effort of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said William Burns, director of communications for the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, based in Annapolis.
The bus is complete with about a dozen computer stations where citizens can register to vote and get information about candidates.
Employees with the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis visited the bus when it arrived on Wednesday. In Baltimore the bus stopped at the Ropewalk Tavern for a visit by Steele.
Burns said local chambers will support the bus as it swoops into towns.
“We think a knowledgeable voter is pro-business,” Burns said.
The chambers will urge employees of businesses to register to vote and get information about candidates, he said.
Some chambers will sponsor candidate forums, voter education aids as well as possibly endorse candidates, Burns said.
“What you will see is outreach by business owners to get this information out to their employees and make sure they have access to information about the candidates,” Burns said.
