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LA Metro And Other Public Transit Services Are Free On Election Day
Looking to exercise your right to vote in the upcoming primary election, if only you had a way to get there? You can ride a variety of public transit services for free on election day.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s buses and trains are fare-free starting midnight on March 3 through midnight March 4. You can also get to a voting center via a free, single ride (30 minutes max) on Metro’s Bike Share.
Two Metro sites actually double as voting centers — the agency’s headquarters at One Gateway Plaza and the El Monte Bus Station — from Feb. 22 through election day.
Metro to offer free rides on Election Day, March 3. If you vote by mail, you can also drop off your ballot at the ballot box located in Union Station East Portal. https://t.co/SfQTHKsM4m pic.twitter.com/zlgLqboaCM
— LA Metro (@metrolosangeles) February 22, 2020
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Metro’s board approved free transit for state and federal elections in 2018 as an incentive to potentially boost voter turnout. Back in 2016, when California last held its presidential primary on June 7, L.A. County had about 4.8 million registered voters. About 40% of them cast ballots.
“A lack of transportation should never stand between a voter and the polls,” L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said in a press release. “Every vote counts in this democracy, and we have to do everything we can to help Americans exercise our most fundamental right.”
Metro isn’t the only agency providing free rides on March 3. The municipal transit departments of Los Angeles, Pasadena, Long Beach, and Culver City, along with the Antelope Valley Transit Authority, will also go fare-free. The county’s Access Services, which provides transit to county residents with disabilities, is also offering free trips to and from voting centers for riders and their companions (customers just have to tell the person booking their trip that they’re going to vote).
Not sure where the nearest voting center is to your home, work or elsewhere? We’ve got you covered. And you may have heard that voting in L.A. County has changed. We’ve got more on that here.
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Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
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