BY SYEDA KHAULA SAAD (VIA BUSTLE)

Photo Credit: Mike Kemp/In Pictures/Getty Images

In the 2016 general election, it’s estimated that about 40% of American voters didn’t cast a ballot. And according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, about 15 million of those people didn’t make it out to the polls because of transportation issues. To help address this, Lyft is offering free rides to voters who couldn’t otherwise make it to a polling station, starting with the Iowa Caucus on Feb. 3 and running up until Election Day on Nov. 3.

According to the company’s Jan. 31 blog post, Lyft believes that every citizen who wants to exercise their fundamental right to vote should have reliable, affordable access to the polls — regardless of income, age, zip code, or political affiliation. That’s why it’s revamping its program from two years prior to help create even more ways to support voters who need help getting to a polling station.

In 2018, the ride-sharing company gave customers 50% off rides on Election Day. But in this year’s new and improved program, Lyft is offering more discounts and more time to use them. According to the blog post announcing the program, the company will give free and discounted rides for the entirety of the primary calendar as well as for the general election. A handful of nonprofit organizations dedicated to aiding underserved communities are partnering up with Lyft to help make it all possible. These organizations include the League of Women Voters, the National Federation of the Blind, the Student Veterans of America, the National Urban League, and the Voto Latino Foundation.

While previous versions of the Voter Access Program provided all customers with a public ride code, this year Lyft is using its connections with these partnered nonprofits to allocate ride codes to those that need them…

Read the full story about Lyft’s free rides for voters at article source here.