Roll to the polls: Greensboro’s transit agency is offering free rides to voters on Election Day

Featured photo: Buses parked outside of the bus station in downtown Greensboro (photo by Gale Melcher)

“Your vote is precious, almost sacred,” said the late Rep. John Lewis (D, Georgia) in 2012.

“It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have to create a more perfect union.”

This year, the country will select a new president, North Carolina will choose a new governor and local elections remain as important as ever. 

But how do you show up to the polls if you don’t have a car?

That’s why the Greensboro Transit Agency is offering voters support this election season with Move To The Polls, the city’s “effort to eliminate information and transportation barriers for voting,” GTA’s Marketing and Communications Specialist Kevin Elwood explained in an interview. The program started in 2016 and is held every four years during presidential elections.

This Election Day — Nov. 5 — riders can hop on any of the city’s green buses which will be “fare-free,” Elwood said. This move aims to help voters “get on the bus to go to their local voting precinct.” On any other day, a trip to the polls and back could cost $3 in total.

They’ll also be conducting voter registration at the J. Douglas Galyon Transportation Center bus depot downtown. When people come to the depot to ride the bus, they’ll be able to “register to vote right there on the spot or they can take the form directly to the Board of Elections,” Elwood said. The agency put out an educational pamphlet in 2020; an updated version is here and will be distributed at the depot and a website will be available online soon.

Some polling stations are rather far from bus stops, making it difficult for the elderly and people with disabilities to walk from their stops to the polls. The city’s paratransit service, Access GSO, will also be free on Election Day, Elwood noted. Those vehicles can pick up riders and take them “anywhere they need to go in the city.” Fill out the application on the city’s website to see if you qualify.

As for the Guilford County’s Board of Elections, Election Director Charlie Collicutt stated that preparations for the general election are going well. 

Two-thirds of eligible voters submitted ballots during the last presidential election in 2020, which was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and record early-voting turnout.

“2020 taught us a lot of good lessons on things to prep for well in advance,” Collicutt explained, adding that without the pressures of a pandemic going on at the same time, they will have more room to focus on things like voter registration. 

Collicutt said that while transit access to polling places is something they look at, “it’s not always the overriding factor when [they’re] under the gun to find somewhere for the voters to go.”

Elwood encouraged voters: “Plan your vote.”

As far as planning their Election Day trip goes, the first thing voters should do is to locate their voting precinct, Elwood explained. Then, using the city’s website or a map application on their device, they can connect the dots to find out which bus to take to the polls.

The program also aims to help marginalized voters. A 2024 study by the Brennan Center for Justice found that racial disparities in voter turnout have increased in recent years, due in part to crucial aspects of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 being upended in 2013 at the behest of the US Supreme Court. Jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination in voting were previously required to preclear any changes to their voting policies and procedures. This change left state and local governments free to adopt a flurry of voter suppression laws. More recently, North Carolina’s primary election in March put the state’s new photo ID requirement to the test, bringing a host of discrimination allegations along with it.

And the city wants to help remove voting barriers for residents with Move To The Polls. 

“This is our way of just reminding them that no matter what, no matter your stature in life, you are equal with every single person in the city,” Elwood explained.

Find your polling place by visiting the North Carolina State Board of Elections Election Day polling place search tool at vt.ncsbe.gov/PPLkup/. Visit the city’s website at www.greensboro-nc.gov/departments/transit/routes to find your closest bus stop.

Important dates and deadlines

• You can fill out a request for a mail-in absentee ballot right now by visiting your local county elections website. On Sept. 6, county boards of elections will begin mailing absentee ballots to eligible voters who submitted an absentee ballot request form.
• The voter registration deadline is at 5 p.m. on Oct. 11.
• In-person early voting begins on Oct. 17, same-day registration is available.
• The absentee ballot request deadline strikes at 5 p.m. on Oct. 29.
• In-person early voting ends at 3 p.m. on Nov. 2.
• Nov. 5 is General Election Day; the absentee ballot return deadline is at 7:30 p.m.

This article is part of U.S. Democracy Day, a nationwide collaborative on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy, in which news organizations cover how democracy works and the threats it faces. To learn more, visit usdemocracyday.org.

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