Tarrant County to pay fare for voters headed to polls on Nov. 5

Rides

Tarrant County will pay the fare for voters going to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

The Tarrant County Commissioners Court, on Oct. 15, approved a partnership with several transportation services to pay for commuter trips to voting locations on Election Day.

“It is important that every eligible voter in Tarrant County has the opportunity to vote,” Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said in a statement. “We have included as many public transit providers as possible within Tarrant County, from accessible services for the elderly and mobility-impaired, to on-demand service in Arlington.”

The Commissioners Court will pay up to $20,000, according to the approved plan.

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In total, seven local transit services are in agreement with Tarrant County to provide free services for voters. It includes Trinity Metro’s fixed-route bus services and TEXRail, ACCESS paratransit, Tarrant County Transportation Services, Northeast Transportation Services and Via and Handitran in Arlington.

“Election Day is an essential time for everyone’s voice to be heard,” Trinity Metro’s vice president Wayne Gensler said. “We appreciate the Tarrant County Commissioners funding this initiative to encourage voter participation.”

Commuters can show their voter registration card or current Texas ID to ride for free to polling locations on Nov. 5.

Those who qualify and want to ride to vote on ACCESS, TCTS, NETS or Handitran should call the provider at least 48 hours ahead of the trip to schedule their free ride to any of the Tarrant County Vote Centers.

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To use Via’s on-demand service in Arlington to vote on Election Day, riders need to download Via’s mobile app and enter the address of a vote center within Via’s service area to hail a ride. The rider will not be charged for trips scheduled to or from a Vote Center location.

The Nov. 5 election has 10 propositions on the statewide ballot, as well as several local and county propositions.

Early voting for Texas’ Constitutional Amendment Election ends Friday.

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