The Final Voter Turnout Effort Includes Free Transportation To The Polls In Many Cities

For weeks voting rights activists in cities around the country have organized free transportation to the polls involving mass transit, ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft and church caravans.

“About 60% of people cannot make it to the polls because of lack of transportation, and so we’re here to fill that gap, fill that void and really make sure we turn out the vote,” said Norma J. Ballentine, who works with Milwaukee’s ‘Souls to the Polls.’

Ballentine and her team of volunteers work in an area where voter turnout will play a pivotal role in deciding whether President Donald Trump or former Vice-President  Joe Biden claims the battleground state of Ohio, a crucial win on the way to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to clinch the White House.

“We have around 50 volunteers,” Ballentine explained. “They’re from all across the country. I’ve got volunteers from Alaska, volunteers from California, D.C., Maine, and then, of course, we’ve got local volunteers. What these volunteers are doing is helping our people get to the polls, and we’re doing that by offering them free pickups from Lyft or Uber to take them to vote.”

In North Carolina, another battleground state, residents can also find free transportation to exercise their right to vote by contacting Rideshare2vote. Options for free transportation are also available in Florida, another key battleground state. And, even in parts of the country where there is little question about a state’s political leanings, free transportation is still available. For example, city buses in Kansas City, Missouri — a Democratic stronghold in a red state — will be used to provide free rides to the polls on Election Day.

With the pandemic forcing voters and volunteers to prioritize safety, Milwaukee’s Ballentine stressed the protocols practiced.

She said, “What they require is that everybody wears a mask. The driver wears a mask. All of the riders have to wear a mask. The driver can refuse a rider entry into the vehicle if they don’t have a mask — and, of course, the rider can refuse to get in if a driver doesn’t have a mask.”

Voters can only sit in the backseat where they can also open the windows. Once the ballot is cast, ‘Souls to the Polls’ volunteers are still on the job.

“You take your time,” Ballentine stated. “When you’re finished, you call the same number back, and there’ll be someone on the other end who can take you back home.”