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Getting to the polls can be an obstacle for many American voters. Thirty-five percent of youth who didn't go to college say a lack of transportation was why they didn't vote in the 2016 election, according to The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Ride-hailing service Lyft said Thursday that it wants to help tackle the problem by offering half-priced rides across the country during this year's midterm elections. Riders can enter location-based codes into the Lyft app to access the discounted rides.
"It's about using our voice and our platform to make sure folks have access to go vote," said Mike Masserman, Lyft's head of Social Impact.
The US midterm elections will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Source: https://www.cnet.com/news/lyft-will-offer-discounted-rides-to-voters-during-midterm-elections/
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Thursday August 30 2018, @03:54PM (18 children)
Emphasis added:
That doesn't mean that's why. It doesn't even mean that lack of transportation was a contributing factor. If you ask the people who *did* have transportation why they didn't vote, you get some other plausible-sounding reason.
The reason you get these reasons instead of a true one is that people don't want to sound stupid by saying "I don't know who all those people are on the ballot, and don't know how to choose among them" or "I don't know how this voting thing works and I am kind of uncomfortable finding out by experience because I am not sure I will be able to do it right."
If someone didn't arrange for transportation, and didn't think they had enough knowledge/ability to vote, then "Yeah, I didn't have a ride" is the more likely self-reported reason.
Adding another way for someone to fail to arrange for transportation, which a nice touch and laudable, probably isn't going to fix that, if indeed it's a significant part of the problem.
Putting candidate's answers to a neutral issues-positions survey beside their names (instead of just grouping a list of names by D/R/L/G/etc.) would go a long way towards fixing that, but the D and R coalition that has a stranglehold right now would never stand for it, as it would give non-D-and-R candidates equal footing for success.
(Score: 2) by nobu_the_bard on Thursday August 30 2018, @04:04PM
It's great advertising for Lyft though...
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @04:09PM (13 children)
Here is a low information voting tactic they should teach:
A) Vote out all incumbents
B) Only vote for non-D/R candidates (doesn't really matter which)
C) Leave blank any votes where this is not possible
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @04:12PM
I forgot:
D) If the person has the same last name as a famous politician it is probably some aristocratic dynasty thing. Vote against them, possibly even breaking the "no D/R" rule to do so.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday August 30 2018, @04:23PM (11 children)
D) outlaw political parties, campaign donations, and professional lobbying.
E) enforce strict equal spending and media time of all qualified election candidates (the 2 to 40 who make it on the ballot).
Holding breath now.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @04:28PM (10 children)
My post was a list of rules for a "low information voting tactic". Your typical low information voter is not going to be doing any "outlawing" or "enforcing".
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Thursday August 30 2018, @05:06PM (8 children)
If you don't vote for people who are serious* about fixing the actual problems of the system, how is it ever going to change ?
*: good luck with that
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @06:17PM (6 children)
Once again, these rules are for low information voters. The voters won't know who is serious about fixing any problems, or anything at all about the candidates.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday August 30 2018, @06:21PM (5 children)
Once again, these rules are for low information voters. The voters won't know who is serious about fixing any problems, or anything at all about the candidates.
Such as who the incumbent is. Or, even, what an incumbent is.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @06:30PM
Sometimes (eg judges) you can only vote to keep or kick them out. Also, I think the incumbent was marked somehow last time I voted, maybe I am misremembering that though.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @08:38PM
That's easy! "Incumbent" is a kind of reclining lounge chair, that allows you to lie down incumbent.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @08:42PM (2 children)
Incumbent is listed on the ballot.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday August 30 2018, @11:28PM (1 child)
Bernie Sanders (I)
Like that?!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 01 2018, @10:56PM
Yep, this just in: Everyone who doesnt think what you think is a moron. We must care to vote for the latest candidate the tv tells us to or else we are defective.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @06:20PM
Fixing actual problems == FAP. Isn’t that who you just voted in 2016?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 30 2018, @06:24PM
So Z would be "Become a well informed voter and chose a candidate who best represents most of your values rather than doing nothing and then complaining about the government's failure to meet your needs and expectations"?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Joe Desertrat on Thursday August 30 2018, @09:15PM (2 children)
The first year I lived where I do I searched online for information about the local candidates and their positions. That was really difficult to find, the best available information was what was printed in the local paper 2 days before the election, and that was pretty superficial. I did come across a website the night before the election which showed how much was donated to local candidates and more importantly in my mind, specifically by whom. Searching about the donors turned up a lot more info and made up my mind in most cases. Unfortunately, after the first election that website vanished.
Teaching civics in schools so people know what the various positions do and why they are voting for those positions might help as well.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Thursday August 30 2018, @11:36PM (1 child)
Searching about the donors turned up a lot more info and made up my mind in most cases. Unfortunately, after the first election that website vanished.
Open Secrets is pretty good for campaign finance information. [opensecrets.org]
Ballotpedia is ok for the basic details of most elections. [ballotpedia.org] It tells you names and ballot numbers and stuff so you can do further research.
(Score: 2) by Joe Desertrat on Sunday September 02 2018, @09:59PM
They're good for the national and big state elections, the site I had found covered all the local municipal and county races.