Headed to vote Tuesday? Hop on SacRT for a free ride
Election Day is coming, and with it, free transit rides. Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) is once again offering to take voters to and from the polls in Sacramento County on buses and light rail for no cost anytime on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
SacRT’s “Drive the Vote” program, now in its second year, is part of the agency’s ongoing effort to support civic life, equity, and community service in our service area, SacRT General Manager/CEO Henry Li said.
SacRT, in partnership with Sacramento County elections officials, first offered free rides to voters during the 2020 elections.
“Sacramento County is making a big effort to get people out to vote, and we want to help by removing transportation barriers for people, taking that last hurdle off the table that makes it harder to vote,” Henry Li, SacRT General Manager/CEO.
We will also be offering free rides on Veterans Day, Friday, November 11, for active or retired military veterans and family members traveling with them. It’s our way to thank you for your service. More information is available at https://www.sacrt.com/veteransday.
Community members, headed to ballot box locations and vote centers, do not need to show proof on Tuesday that they are voting. Simply board a bus or train, or request a SmaRT Ride, and ride for free. For more information, including trip planning, go to https://www.sacrt.com/drivethevote or call 916-321-BUSS (2877).
“It is terrific to have SacRT as a partner in our effort to make voting easier and more accessible to all Sacramento County voters,” said Sacramento County Interim Registrar of Voters Hang Nguyen. “We appreciate their support in our effort to increase voter turnout.”
The free Election Day rides include fixed-route buses (including Elk Grove and Folsom), light rail, Rancho CordoVan, SmaRT Ride, SacRT GO Paratransit Services, and SacRT e-van. The free rides also include the Causeway Connection bus between Sacramento and Davis.
Some 87 voting centers around Sacramento County will be open this Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The county also has 60 ballot drop box sites, where voters can slide their filled-out ballots into a secure box. Elections officials will be collecting ballots from those drop boxes on a regular basis.
For information on voting sites, go to the Sacramento County elections voting center webpage: elections.saccounty.net
Sacramento County voting officials point out that people who are not yet registered to vote can still come to a polling place on Tuesday, November 8 and fill out a registration form as well as cast provisional votes. Those votes will be counted after county officials validate the registrant’s address and other basic data.
Keep in mind that although November 8 is formally Election Day - and the official SacRT free ride day - it is not the only day you can vote.
Voting centers will be open for in-person voting either three or nine days before Election Day depending on the site. See the county webpage for details: elections.saccounty.net
Some voters will choose instead to fill out their ballots at home and place them in the mail. If you are putting your ballot in the mail on November 8, make sure it is in a box that has a scheduled collection on that day so that your ballot will be postmarked by November 8.