Voter Registration Efforts are not Enough!
Voter registration efforts are a key component to ensuring there are eligible voters to participate in the voting process. However, those efforts will not be enough to secure wins without an organized strategy to help those newly minted, but inexperienced voters, figure out how to vote. That is where Rideshare2Vote comes in.
In 2019 Texas led the US south in closing down the most polling locations, by closing 750 polls statewide since 2019. https://civilrights.org/democracy-diverted/
Five of the six largest closers of polls are in Texas as stated in the above link. “With 74 closures, Dallas County, which is 41 percent Latino and 22 percent African American, is the second largest closer of polling places, followed by Travis County, which is 34 percent Latino, (–67). Harris County, which is 42 percent Latino and 19 percent African American, (–52) and Brazoria County, which is 13 percent African American and 30 percent Latino (–37) tied with Nueces County, which is 63 percent Latino (–37).” Many, of the closures were related to a statewide effort to consolidate voting locations and eliminate people from being restricted to the polling location in their precinct. Under the change, voters can go to any polling location in their county. What’s the problem with that? With the gutting of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, states were no longer under the supervision of the federal government to protect voters from implementing discriminatory voting practices. Polling locations falls under that umbrella, and closures have often impacted communities of color.
There is no question that the more difficult it is to vote, the less likely someone is to vote. The Republican leadership in Texas is well aware of that. They are also well aware of the changing racial demographics in Texas that have pushed Texas into the category of “potential swing state”. They saw the gains that Democrats made in the 2018 mid-term elections. Those of us in Texas know that we are a non-voting state, and it benefits the GOP to keep it that way. Note that in the county where Waco, Texas sits, 44% of polling locations were closed between 2012 and 2018, even though 2/3 of the population growth during that period was from Black and Latinx residents.
So, while voting centers have their benefits, it is important to look at where they are located. Can people easily get to them? There are areas where more locations have been closed in communities of color compared to communities of White people. Communities of color have a disproportionate number of lower income people without reliable transportation, increased distances exacerbates the difficulty of voting.
Rideshare2Vote drivers know where the voting locations are. The drivers will take voters to a locations, regardless of distance. They will wait for the voter to vote and deliver them safely back to their home or place of employment. Newly registered voters don’t need to stress about figuring out where to vote. They don’t need to stress about when the polling locations are open. They don’t need to stress about figuring out the actual mechanics of checking in at the location and operating the voting machine. Our drivers are trained in all of that and can walk the voter through it all!
Take the next step and help these newly registered voters actually cast a ballot! Turn Texas Blue by turning it into a voting state! You can help us by liking us/following us on social media, donating to us, and signing up to volunteer as a driver or in another capacity!
