Get out and vote | Photo: Unsplash/Mirah Curzer
A local group in Chattanooga, Tennessee created a new app to help LGBTI people vote.
In November, the United States will hold its midterm elections. These elections, which take place every four years, elect Senators, House Representatives, and more state-level positions.
The app offers a variety of perks for people. It includes a non-partisan voting guide, including scorecards for each candidate on particular issues.
Not only that, it also offers safe and inclusive transportation for voters to get to their polling centers.
Making it a team effort
‘It was pretty easy,’ Sydney Valencia, a transgender woman, told NBC News about using the ride-share option of the app. ‘I put in the request, and I got a call, and they came and picked me up and brought me there.’
Plus, the car that picked her up was adorned with rainbow flags.
Chari Starr, another trans woman, volunteers as a driver. ‘Any time you interact with government agencies as an LGBT person, it can be stressful,’ she said.
One time a trans voter posted a comment expressing their anxiety about going to vote and requesting a ride.
Starr recalled: ‘We basically filled the truck with every trans person that we could in our group, and we picked this girl up and brought her to the polls.’
A local LGBTI business and Chattanooga Moms for Social Justice, another group, donated vans and SUVs for the ride-sharing.
A recent report revealed that 78,000 transgender Americans might not be able to vote in November due to voter ID laws. That’s why programs like these are so critical.
While not specifically LGBTI-related, Lyft is also offering free and discounted rides for voters.
Over 15 million people cited transportation as their primary barrier to voting in the 2016 election — that’s why we’re introducing The Ride to Vote. Lyft will provide free and discounted rides to the Polls. #TheRidetoVote https://t.co/E8GVhNNkE8 pic.twitter.com/1kmqWlSpsB
— Lyft (@lyft) August 23, 2018
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