At Lyft, we’re working to improve lives by connecting people and their communities through the world’s best transportation. This Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 6), we want to help people across America exercise their right to vote.
It is estimated that over 15 million people were registered but didn’t vote in 2016 because of transportation issues.(1) That’s why we’re committed to providing 50% off rides across the country, and free rides to underserved communities that face significant obstacles to transportation.(2) More details on our plan:
- Across the country, we’ll give away 50% off promo codes with our partners that encourage voter turnout. We’re thrilled to be working with Vote.org, Nonprofit Vote, TurboVote and more to help distribute codes to those who need them. We’ll also have a product integration to help passengers find their polling location.
- For underserved communities, we’ll provide rides free of cost through nonpartisan, nonprofit partners, including Voto Latino, local Urban League affiliates, and the National Federation of the Blind.
We know that getting to the polls is only one part of the voting process. We’re also committed to making it easier to register to vote and learn about important ballot initiatives. We’re partnering with When We All Vote and National Voter Registration Day to ensure Lyft’s passengers, drivers, and broader community are prepared for Election Day. We’ll:
- Remind Lyft passengers about voter registration deadlines using various social media and platform tools (e.g. push notifications)
- Give drivers voter registration handouts and key voter information at Hub locations
- Offer in-office voter registration for employees at our offices
- Offer comprehensive, online voter information through our partner organizations
- Encourage our community to make a plan in advance for Election Day, which has a proven impact on voter turnout rates(3)
Your voice is important! We’re excited to help make it heard in this year’s elections.
1“Why Youth Don’t Vote – Differences by Race and Education”, Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE)
2A Pew study from 2014 showed that nearly half of nonvoters (46%) have family incomes under $30,000, compared with 19% of likely voters. And 43% of those who are not likely to cast ballots this Fall are Hispanic, African American or other racial and ethnic minorities, roughly double the percentage among likely voters (22%). (Pew Research Center – “The Party of Nonvoters”)
3“How Science Can Help Get Out the Vote” – Scientific American
“Do You Have a Voting Plan? : Implementation Intentions, Voter Turnout, and Organic Plan Making” – David W. Nickerson and Todd Rogers, Harvard University
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