Our Story

Carpool Vote connects volunteer drivers with anybody who needs a ride to claim their vote.

Carpool Vote launched in 2016 to fight back against voter suppression. Many of our riders need a driver after losing full protection of the Voting Rights Act in 2013, as state governments no longer need permission to change election rules. The 2016 US Presidential election was the first since this change has happened.

People who used our service in 2016 faced several barriers to getting to the polls.

Find out more about voter suppression

There is currently little support in government to make it easier for people to vote. So, our mission continues in the 2018 midterms: to help make sure that no vote goes uncounted.

These included:

• Closure of polling places in lower-income communities of color.
• Inaccessibly remote locations for would-be voters to get a photo ID to register.
• Shrinking early voting periods.
• Prohibitive absentee ballot procedures.

These barriers – along with others introduced since the change – affected everybody but especially people of color, people with disabilities, young people, elderly people, and women.

Find out if your state is affected.

In 2016, so few votes were cast that president Trump was elected by barely a quarter of Americans eligible to vote.