NWI organizations offering free rides to polling locations

Various Northwest Indiana organizations will offer rides to polling locations to help voters cast their ballots in the upcoming election.

Everybody Counts, Northwest Indiana National Organization for Women and the NOW Foundation have partnered to establish the “Ride ‘N’ Roll to the Polls” program, which offers free accessible rides for people with disabilities and senior citizens to polling locations, according to a press release.

The program will have accessible vans and other vehicles available to give disabled voters in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties rides to the polls for early voting and Nov. 5, Election Day, said President of Northwest Indiana NOW Julie Storbeck.

Rutgers University’s Program for Disability Research projects 40.2 million people with disabilities will be eligible to vote in November, which is a 5.1% increase since 2020 and double the 2.5% rise in the number of eligible voters without disabilities.

When looking at voting demographics, there are more eligible voters with disabilities, which includes mobility, cognitive, hearing and visual impairments, than eligible voters who are Hispanic, 35.7 million, or Black, 31.1 million, according to Rutgers University. Approximately 7 million eligible voters with disabilities live in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Everybody Counts Executive Director Teresa Torres said the organization’s goal is to ensure that anyone in Northwest Indiana who wants to vote can.

“Everybody Counts has always encouraged folks to make sure that their voices are heard,” Torres said. “With so many crucial issues at stake, folks need to implement what we call the power of the disability vote.”

To reserve a ride through the Ride ‘N’ Roll, voters can call (219) 769-5055 or email jstorbeck@everybodycounts.org.

The Gary Public Transportation Corporation, in partnership with the Northern Indiana Chapter of The Links, Inc. and AARP Indiana, will offer free transit service on Election Day Nov. 5.

All fixed routes and transfers, along with GPTC’s Access 219 paratransit service, will offer free rides from 5 a.m. to 9:20 p.m., according to a news release. Any rider heading to the polls will not be required to display documentation or buy a bus pass, according to the release.

The City of Valparaiso will offer free bus rides on the V-Line intracity bus on Election Day to encourage voter turnout and community engagement.

“Transportation should not be an obstacle to participating in elections,” said Valparaiso Mayor Jon Costas in a news release. “We want to encourage our community to participate in government at the local level and beyond.”

The Northwest Indiana Kamala Harris Headquarters in Gary will host a “Kamala Karavan to the Polls” on Saturday, which is the first Saturday of early voting in Northwest Indiana, according to a press release.

The karavan of about 20 cars will depart from the Northwest Indiana Kamala Harris campaign headquarters, 1520 Broadway in Gary, and travel down Broadway to the Gary Public Library, 220 W. 5th Avenue.

Gary Mayor Eddie Melton will host a Greater Gary’s Day of Action Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Thea Bowman Leadership Academy, 3401 W. 5th Avenue in Gary. The rally will host speakers including U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge, and State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, among others, followed by early voting and canvassing, according to a news release.Early voting goes through the Monday before Election Day with 11 polling locations in Lake County and seven polling locations in Porter County.

For information on times and locations, check out https://www.porterco.org/1111/Early-Voting for Porter County and https://tinyurl.com/4s34d8a8 for Lake County.

akukulka@post-trib.com