Paola Kovich
RideShare2Vote, Pride2Vote help voters get to the polls
CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writer
carolinelsavoie@gmail.com
After recognizing a need to help voters reach polling locations while interning in Texas’s state legislature, Paola Kovich — who was 17 and about to vote for the first time — came home and told her mother, Sarah Kovich, that she had an idea to help people get out to vote. Sarah, a seasoned businesswoman, said she bought an off-the-shelf taxi app, and the mother-daughter duo started RideShare2Vote, a transport program that offers rides to get to polling locations.
Now, what started in Dallas in August 2018 has expanded across the country into 20 states.
“I never thought I would be sitting here running an operation this big,” Sarah said. “I thought it would be a little project that ended after the election. But we recognized an ongoing need to help people get their vote in.”
Sarah said that 40 percent of registered voters do not vote in presidential elections, and 14 percent of voters list transportation as their biggest barrier to vote. She said RideShare2Vote merges Uber and Lyft with Souls to the Polls, a movement to transport Black Amercians to vote in the 1950s and ’60s that continues today.
Sarah Kovich
“I’m proud to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us who knew how valuable our votes are,” Sarah said. “Voting together makes it safer, easier and, frankly, more fun.”
RideShare2Vote and its nonpartisan branch, RideShare2Vote Aware, offer round-trip rides with certified drivers who are trained as voter allies. Sarah said this means that the drivers are trained to know and defend voter laws.
They also offer ADA accessible vehicles to ensure that they accommodate people with mobilization challenges.
In the spirit of accommodating marginalized populations, Sarah said that a couple of years ago, two interns asked to start a branch of the nonprofit specifically targeting LGBTQ people.
“I thought that was a great idea because I know that, in Texas, it can be scary or intimidating to vote in a more rural area that might pose potential difficulties for LGBTQ+ people,” Sarah said. “With PRide2Vote, [LGBTQ people] can have an ally with them on the journey to vote.”
She said the drivers are trained on queer allyship and on protecting the identities of the riders. PRide2Vote also offers carpool options, so multiple people can get a ride to vote together.
“Democracy thrives best when everyone feels safe to vote and have their voice heard,” Sarah said. “We don’t vote at a very high rate in America, and the more people we can help get to the polls, the more fair and representative our elections become.
“We all deserve a voice when making decisions about our leadership.”
Paola, who serves as dispatch director, said that it’s important for LGBTQ people to have a driver they feel is trustworthy and accepting.
“Our volunteers are those people,” she said. “They understand how intimidating the political atmosphere can be, so it’s important that people have someone there to support them no matter what and ensure that their voice is heard.”
Sarah said that while public transportation can be a viable option for voters, it can often take up more time than people have before or after work. She said that she’s noticed people also have difficulties finding out where to vote, and RideShare2Vote solves that problem.
“At RideShare2Vote Aware, we believe that uplifting every voice — regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or level of openness with queerness — is essential to developing a democracy that truly represents the people of our nation.”
Paola said she spoke to a man who was wheelchair-bound when he called to get a ride, and he explained that his father made it a point to take him to vote any time there was an election. When the man’s father was in hospice care, he told the nurse that he needed to go vote, and through his adamancy, he was able to cast his ballot.
Paola said the day after the man’s father cast his vote, he died.
“I hear stories like this all the time,” she said. “I hear from people who know someone who would do anything to go vote, people who have family members who fought and died for the right to vote during the Civil Rights movement.”
She said these people keep her motivated to continue the work she and her mother started in 2018.
“Hearing these stories, it’s a reminder that I’m here to continue their legacy by assisting people to exercise their right to have their voices heard and making a change in our democracy, no matter how small it might be, whether it’s in a local, state or national election,” Paola said.
Sarah said after the presidential election, RideShare2Vote will start outreach to a million Texans, a quarter of whom are in Dallas, to make them aware of upcoming elections in May and November 2025.
“This is a year-round offering,” Sarah said. “We don’t stop after the presidential election, and we make sure to reach out to low-propensity voters the most to let them know that we may have a solution to their problem.”
Local Dallas organizations — including the Dallas Bethlehem Center and Justice Builders — sent donations to support the nonprofit this year.
To access the year-round ride-share offering, voters can get a ride by calling RideShare2Vote Aware at 888-858-3421, using a booking form online at RideShare2VoteAware.org or booking through the app.