To: President Donald Trump, The United States House of Representatives, and The United States Senate
Make Election Day a Public Transit Fare Holiday
Just Foreign Policy
Advocate for Election Day to be a public transit fare holiday, so all voters can get a free ride to the polls.
Why is this important?
In Illinois, the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is providing free bus rides to the polls on Election Day. [1] Other mass transit districts could do it too. We can't pay people to vote. But we can give all voters something for free, by way of compensation.
We have a kind of poll tax now in some urban communities: long lines to vote. That costs people time, and therefore it costs them money; and it discourages them from voting in the future. [2] We should fix this! In the meantime, we could compensate people for their trouble. Sorry about the long line; we're working on that. In the meantime, here's your free ride. Free fares would be a friendly advertisement for voting across many people's day. You get to the subway or bus, and it's free. That would remind people that today is Election Day.
A day of free fares on Election Day would be good publicity for mass transit. That's something we need to confront the challenge of climate change: more people using public transit instead of cars.
Urge President Obama and Members of Congress to advocate for a public transit fare holiday on Election Day by signing our petition.
References:
1. http://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/mtd_giving_free_rides_to_polling_places_on_election_day/
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/upshot/why-long-voting-lines-today-could-have-long-term-consequences.html
We have a kind of poll tax now in some urban communities: long lines to vote. That costs people time, and therefore it costs them money; and it discourages them from voting in the future. [2] We should fix this! In the meantime, we could compensate people for their trouble. Sorry about the long line; we're working on that. In the meantime, here's your free ride. Free fares would be a friendly advertisement for voting across many people's day. You get to the subway or bus, and it's free. That would remind people that today is Election Day.
A day of free fares on Election Day would be good publicity for mass transit. That's something we need to confront the challenge of climate change: more people using public transit instead of cars.
Urge President Obama and Members of Congress to advocate for a public transit fare holiday on Election Day by signing our petition.
References:
1. http://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/mtd_giving_free_rides_to_polling_places_on_election_day/
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/upshot/why-long-voting-lines-today-could-have-long-term-consequences.html