The New Barrier to Voting

During the Civil Right Movement, the hurdle that stopped many Black voters from participating in the election process was voter registration. County clerks would create impossible tasks or simply refuse to allow Black voters to register. Groups like SNCC, the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, worked in southern states to help the Black community overcome these obstacles.

Today, voter registration is not as much of an issue, though it remains difficult for many voters across the country. Transportation, on the other hand, has become a major problem for many voters. Especially those in Black communities.

Neighborhoods with residents who are more reliant on public transportation or share a single car with multiple family members often have fewer voting locations than wealthier neighborhoods, where each family member with a driver’s license likely drives their own vehicle.

The reasoning is that these wealthier neighborhoods have higher voter turnout and, therefore, need more polling locations. Since low-income and formally red-lined neighborhoods have lower turnout, politicians and election officials believe these communities deserve fewer polling locations.

The logic is backwards. Voters without a personal vehicle must be able to vote according to the bus schedule or a family member’s work hours. The bus may come back too soon to allow someone to vote and get the groceries as well. The family member with the car may not be free while polls are open. Add to this fewer polling locations, meaning longer travel time and longer lines, and many communities are stuck in a cycle of hidden voter suppression.

Fewer voters show up in communities with fewer polling locations, which means election officials will move or simply shutdown more locations during the next election cycle, meaning even fewer voters show up.

Rideshare2Vote is one of the only national organizations trying to remove the hurdle of transportation from the voting process. By providing free-to-the-voter, round-trip rides to the polls, we are helping entire communities increase voter turnout, which will then increase polling locations, which then help increase voter turnout yet again.

While offering free transportation to any registered voter, Rideshare2Vote is helping change the trajectory of our political future. However, free rides are never free. We need the support of donors and partner organizations to sustain our work in 2024 and beyond. Charging voters would only add an additional barrier to the polls as well as violate the law in many states. Therefore, we are reliant on citizens who see the value in voting and understand that if we want our democracy to survive, every voter must have easy access to the polls.

By donating to Rideshare2Vote, you can help stop voter suppression by providing rides to the polls.

by Cannon Roberts