by Thea Marie Rood
With just one week to Election Day, now is the time to map out your strategy: How will you get yourself or your ballot to the polls?
Sacramento Regional Transit District is making that easier. Not only can you catch a ride to a Vote Center or Vote by Mail Ballot Drop Box site, you can get there fare-free.
Working with two partners—Sacramento County and the Sacramento Kings—SacRT’s Drive the Vote provides reliable, convenient and free public transportation now through Election Day.
Here’s how:
Now-Nov. 2: SmaRT Ride Free Ride Days with Flyer
Weekdays through Monday, Nov. 2, you can catch a SmartRT Ride microtransit shuttle in any of the nine service zones for a free ride to the Vote Center or Vote by Mail Ballot Drop Box located in each SmaRT Ride zone. A special free ride flyer is required.
To locate the voting and drop box sites in your service zone and to obtain the SmaRT Ride free ride flyer, visit sacrt.com/drivethevote.
Nov. 3: System-Wide Free Ride Day
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Election Day, you can catch free rides aboard all light rail, buses, SmaRT Ride on-demand microtransit shuttles and SacRT GO Paratransit Services. A flyer or exemption code is not required.
Also good to know:
Now-Nov. 3: Kings Rally the Vote
Through Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Kings’ Golden 1 Center in DoCo will serve as an early voting location. Any California voter can drop off a completed ballot. And any Sacramento County resident can get a new printed ballot to take home, vote in person, register to vote, update voter registration, receive language assistance, or use an accessible ballot marking device to vote.
Golden 1 Center was the first professional sports venue to announce plans to serve as a Vote Center and it is also the largest one in the county, making social distancing easy. For more information, see rallythevote.org.
Now/Oct. 31-Nov. 3: Open Sacramento County Vote Centers
Sacramento County will open 84 Vote Centers for the Presidential General Election, 18 of them from now through Election Day, Tues. Nov. 3. The others will be open Saturday, Oct. 31 through Election Day. Visit elections.saccounty.net to learn more about vote center locations.
