Photo by Marilyn Tran on Unsplash

With tomorrow being the day of decision, it’s worthwhile to take a second and applaud an American business ensuring that citizens can exercise their right to vote.

The ride-hailing firm Lyft is operating its ‘Lyft Up Voting Access’ program for the tenth year in a row, offering discounted or free rides to polling stations.

One of the major impediments to voting in America is very often distance to a polling place and or access to decent transportation to get there.

To that end, organizations like the NAACP have partnered with Lyft to help ensure members without reliable transportation had the ability to get to the polls.

The Lyft Up program’s partners also include the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), and the Hispanic Federation, who have, along with the NAACP, all been given codes to distribute to their members which can be redeemed for free or discounted rides with Lyft.

“For many Americans, especially Black Americans, accessible and affordable transportation continues to impede access to the ballot box,” Johnson said. “The NAACP is proud to continue working with our partners at Lyft to create pathways to the polls through free and low-cost rideshare services. Together, we will make sure every vote is counted and every voice is heard.”

A 2021 study from Boston/Harvard universities found that only 36% of registered voters without a car voted that year, compared to 66% who owned a car.

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“Every American citizen should be able to exercise their right to vote without worrying about the cost or difficulty of getting to the polls,” Lyft CEO David Risher said. “Everyone — from a driver who’s given a thousand rides to a rider who hasn’t taken her first one yet — deserves to have their voice heard at the polls. Our Voting Access Program is a great way Lyft can be a force for good.”

In its 10 years of operation, Lyft Up has helped more than 3 million people exercise their right to vote, and the goal this season is to increase that volume by 25%.

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