TAMPA, Fla. -- Some registered voters in need of a way to get to the polls Tuesday had a few options.
Pinellas, Pasco and Manatee counties all offered free bus rides.
But for many people with disabilities, they're not able to even walk to the bus stop for that free ride.
Voting and transportation woes
Vietnam veteran John Hess was left severely disabled after serving in the Navy.
“I was injured in a bomb explosion,” says Hess. “For 10 years, we couldn't talk about it.”
That’s why voting is so important to him. It's an American right he's proud to have.
“This makes my 50th year of voting if I'm able to make it to the poll,” says Hess.
Those disabilities, make it harder for Hess to walk, which is frustrating on a day he wishes to cast his vote.
Throughout the morning, he was stuck at home figuring out how to get a ride.
“Even though I have a truck, I can't see to drive anymore,” says Hess. “As an American who wants to vote, I think it's a disgrace. I know how important every vote is.”
Our team made some calls and within an hour, there was help.
Matt Cuffaro with a local nonprofit came to help pick up Hess to take him to his voting site. A short drive later, the veteran was able to cast his vote.
Cuffaro dropped everything to make sure a local hero made his voice heard.
“The stickers just prove that I did it,” he says. “That I was successful.”
Hess did get a mail-in ballot but admits he waited too late to send it in.
He shouldn’t have the same problems on Nov. 6.
Companies offering free and discounted rides on Election Day
Popular ride-sharing company Lyft is offering their passengers discounted, and in some cases free, rides on Nov. 6 to encourage voter turnout during the U.S. midterm election.
The Uber competitor is teaming up with various voting organizations, such as Vote.org and TurboVote, to distribute a 50 percent promotion code to riders on their mobile app.
Certain underserved communities will be provided rides free of cost through other nonpartisan and nonprofit partners such as Voto Latino, local Urban League affiliates and the National Federation for the Blind.
An estimated 15 million people were registered to vote in 2016 but were unable to because of transportation issues, according to the CIRCLE study cited by Lyft in their blog post.
The company is even going a step further to provide more information to voters by distributing voter registration handouts at their local Hubs and sending registration reminders through push alerts.
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