NAACP teams up with Lyft to provide free rides to polls on election day

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is partnering with the rideshare company Lyft this November, to give people free or discounted rides to the polls.

The partnership is part of the 2024 Lyft Up Voting Access Program, which will also assist riders and drivers with registering to vote, preparing to vote, and understanding voting ID requirements and laws in their local areas. The voting access program has been around for more than a decade and has helped more than three million voters. 

“During a time where our most sacred right to vote is under attack, we must fight back with every tool at our disposal,” NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson said in a statement on Wednesday. “For many Americans, especially Black Americans, accessible and affordable transportation continues to impede access to the ballot box. 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.”

The rideshare service will give codes to nonprofit partners in the program that will be distributed to people they identify as most in need of the transportation. Discounted rides to the polling locations will also be available to riders across the country. The free or discounted rides will also include rides to designated dropbox locations.

Nonprofit partners this year include the National Council of Negro Women, Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote, and the Hispanic Federation, among others, according to The Hill.

“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, per the outlet. “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.” 

Lyft is also targeting young voters this election cycle, by partnering with Levi Strauss & Co. and Showtime/MTV in a new coalition that hopes to galvanize community college students.