Neighbor treks 150 miles to help pregnant woman vote

When Brian and Jessica Schantz went to bed Monday night, they had a plan.

They’d wake up Tuesday morning, vote at their White Hall, Md., polling location and then drive to York Hospital to have their baby.

A C-section was scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday.

But when Jessica’s water broke at 3 a.m., their plans changed. And suddenly, they were worried they wouldn’t be able to vote.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Brian said. “I was going on my phone to figure stuff out for absentee ballots and didn’t come up with anything.”

That’s when Joshua Bruno stepped in.

Bruno, who lives next door, got the call around 10 a.m. that the baby was coming early. Right away, he knew he wanted to help.

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He made a few phone calls and learned that he’d have to go to the Harford County Board of Elections, pick up some paperwork and drive 38 miles north to York Hospital so the couple could sign it.

The signed form would then give Bruno permission to pick up the couple's absentee ballots at the Harford County Board of Elections, which he would later deliver to the couple at York Hospital and return to the Harford County Board of Elections by the end of the day.

By the time he’s finished, he will have driven more than 150 miles to make sure his neighbors had their chance to vote.

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“It’s a very important election this year,” Bruno said. “I think it’s been the craziest, oddest election cycle I’ve ever seen … And I wanted to do my part to help them out to be able to vote.”

Brian feels a lot better knowing that his vote will count, he said.

“Every vote counts,” he said. “It’s everybody’s civil duty to vote.”