Ride-sharing companies, Uber and Lyft, have announced that they are offering free and discounted rides to the polls this year! With less than a month until election, and in partnership with #VoteTogether and Democracy Works, Uber is providing free rides to anyone who needs transportation on November 6. Lyft will be providing free and discounted rides.
If you need a ride on November 6, download the Uber and/or Lyft apps. Within the Uber app, customers will see a ‘GET TO THE POLLS’ button; here you will press to find your nearest polling location. Lyft is also offering half-off coupons that will be made available through varying voter registration groups like Vote.org, Nonprofit Vote, and TurboVote. Nonpartisan groups will also help out, Voto Latino, Urban League, and National Federation for the Blind will be assisting voters in catching free Lyft rides.
The CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, summed it up by stating, “Decisions get made by those who show up. On November 6, I hope everyone does one thing: vote!”
Due to the effects of Hurricane Florence, South Carolina for the first time ever, is extending the deadline to register to vote for South Carolina residents. The deadline is now October 17, 2018, and there are several ways you can register to vote in the upcoming elections.
Register online at https://www.scVOTES.org
The My scVOTES mobile app on all mobile platforms
Download, complete and return a voter registration form from https://www.scVOTES.org to their county voter registration office
If sent by fax or email, it must be received before midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 17
If sent by mail, it must be postmarked by Oct. 17
Register in person at your county voter registration office. Most offices close at 5 p.m.
On Oct. 17 for in-office registrations, Residents are advised to check locally for specific hours
If you’re already registered, visit https://www.scVOTES.org and click “Check My Registration” to make sure your registration is up to date
#WhenWeAllVote has gone high tech. If you still need to register to vote, Michelle Obama and her team are making it easy for every American eligible to make their voice heard. On Thursday, they revealed a new campaign that gets people started on the registration process, simply by texting. If you text “WeAllVote” to 97779, you can get started on the registration process – easy!
Our first lady is urging voters to get out on November 6th. In the campaign video below she says, “When we stay home, things stay the same or they get worse. When we all vote, we get new ideas and new energy…we get leaders who share our values and listen to our voices. That’s how we change America.”
Starting September 23rd, Michelle Obama, Shonda Rhimes, Janelle Monáe, Chris Paul, Faith Hill , Loni Love, Keegan-Michael Key and Tom Hanks, will be making their way around the country, from city to city, encouraging Americans to get out and vote.
Michelle Obama, along with a host of celebrity friends are making sure we all get out and vote. #WhenWeAllVote is a movement whose purpose is to make sure we are all voting in each election – whether it’s your local school board, senate, or President. Making your voice heard in each and every election is important; at this point, its crucial to our lives and the democracy. At www.WhenWeAllVote.org you can register to vote or organize events within your city that help residents get registered. See the details below, and join the movement – make sure you are making your way to the polls this year and in the upcoming years. Your vote is crucial.
ORGANIZE OR JOIN AN EVENT IN A CITY NEAR YOU This year, When We All Vote will celebrate a week of action in September. Communities across the country — with the help of volunteers like you — will host voter registration events throughout the week in cities big and small.
Michelle Obama said so. Tom Hanks said so. Janelle Monáe said so. Chris Paul said so. Faith Hill said so. Tim McGraw said so. #ConvinceSomeoneToVoteIn4Words
This one hurts. Like, death is hard to talk about, but this one right here just – hurts. On yesterday, we heard the shocking news that our leader, not just our Black Lives Matter leader, but our LEADER, Muhiyyidin lost his life in New Orleans. At the age of 32, this beacon in our community is gone. The New Orleans police have not been able to identify the murderer, nor have they found any suspects. The sad realization that many of us are thinking, is that we may never find out what happened.
Yesterday, after finding out the news, it was pure disbelief – hell, even my mother couldn’t believe it and she had only met him a few times! But, anyone who came in contact with Muhiyyidin knows that he was far too good for this earth – like really just genuinely good. He was an activist, a leader, a planner, a doer (never just a talker – NEVER). He was always planning, trying to figure out what the people of his community needed most. He managed to get ME (the girl who ducks everybody; the girl who doesn’t want to come to your event, party, get-together) – yup, he managed to get people like me to show up, get active, participate, and be a part of the conversation – time and time again.
We had a lot of wild moments under the leadership of Muhiyyidin, some funny, some serious, but all memorable. Thank you Muhiyyidin aka, Moya for your leadership. Your determination and drive to do good within the community and the world was genuine and that’s why so many people rocked with you. I appreciate who you are and I thank you for the impact you made here in Charleston. Now, you can really walk barefoot, beat your drum, and spend eternity in perfect peace.
Here are some great memories we got to have with Muhiyyidin:
(Honorable Mention) Leeds Avenue – Protests
July 14, 2016 – During the Michael Slager trial, a lot happened. Protests continued and the people of Charleston spent a lot of time outside (and inside) of the jail on Leeds to send a message to Michael Slager and the North Charleston police department. There was even one night some of the BLM protesters had been arrested and we were yet again, joining Muhiyyidin, in the lobby of the Sheriff Al Cannon Detention Center protesting their arrest.
5) Charleston/ NYC BLM Protests for Eric Garner
December 13, 2014 – This was the Black Lives Matter Protest, Marion Square, Downtown Charleston, SC. This was really at the start of his legacy and on this day, Charleston joined in solidarity w/ the NYC protests for Eric Garner.
4) The Stomping Ground – North Charleston City Hall
Name someone other than Muhiyyidin who could bring every hip-hop artist, poet, creator, media personality, and politician within 100 mile radius and have them marching through the streets and shutting down North Charleston! Thank you Muhiyyidin – you will continue to be an inspiration!
3) Muhiyyidin and Students of College of Charleston
July 13, 2016 – Muhiyyidin and students from The College of Charleston organized a MASSIVE protest in Marian Spare, to send a message to the schools President in regards to the confederate flag!
2) This Is What Democracy Looks Like
April 8, 2015 – On this day, in protest of the murder of Walter Scott, Muhiyyidin organized a protest inside the walls of City Hall. We LITERALLY turned North Charleston City upside down. They didn’t know what to do with us!
1) Superheroes Do Exist
I remember riding down Calhoun street and having to stop for gas before heading over to the College of Charleston. Rumors were flying that protesters would be showing up to speak out against Bree Newsome, the young woman that had climbed a flag pole to remove a conferate flag. The plan was to protest their protest! While pumping gas, I began to hear sirens, police were racing through traffic down Calhoun towards the College. I knew there was drama and figured a fight broke out. The had blocked off the streets and wouldn’t allow anyone else near the college, so I decided to head home. Before I could even get home, my the video is already all over Facebook! I’m getting text and phone calls asking “did you see Muhiyyidin” ! This was a classic moment in Charleston Black history! I probably watched that video twenty times, it was hilarious.
We have an important political season in front of us this year; midterm elections are predicted to be brutal with the balance of power up for grabs in many precincts. This interesting season in politics will have Republicans answering for some of their current policies, which will make it difficult to convince some much-needed swing voters. Democrats in turn, will have to also answer for their failures and internal fighting as they recover from the last election. What we do not want to see however, is the same names and faces we see year to year, running for the same positions. We are not interested in seeing the same people getting elected every year, that haven’t been able to get much done within our communities. Because of the difficulty that comes along with casting your vote for ‘right person’, it is really amazing to see Luvii Ajayi and three of her friends,Sili Recio, Lucrecer Braxton and Candace Jones band together to create a listing of black women who are running for political office in 2018. Ajayi came up with the idea after realizing how black women came to the polls in support of Doug Jones in Alabama; she stated,
“The day after the Alabama elections between Roy Moore and Doug Jones, America got one more confirmation that Black women are superheros who save the day time and time again. 96% of Black women who voted showed up to vote for Doug Jones, who wasn’t even someone we loved. We just chose to partake in harm reduction so the proven pedophile, Roy Moore, who was endorsed by Mango Mussolini, would not win. Their votes made all the difference, as 63% of white women showed up to vote for the devil.”
Why is it important to have a listing of black, female candidates running for office? Let’s face it, if black women can come together to defeat a candidate, who would have won without their votes, then we can come together to make sure we have the same power electing our fellow sisters in office. Look at the current state of America – just look at it! There are certain things happening in our communities and in our country that
After Doug Jones, Ajayi went on a search to look for a listing of black women who are running for office in 2018, but she was unable to find one. That is when her brainchild was born. She enlisted a few friends, and they compiled a listing, with the help of others, of black women throughout the country who are running for office this year. This is simply a listing, not an endorsement that contains over 400 women throughout the country. Log on to Blackwomeninpolitics.comfor a listing of women in your state, and support anyone who is behind real change for the future of America.
If having a diverse political house and senate, or having diversity within your local elections is important to you, then start with Blackwomeninpolitics.com and begin learning about the women who will be working to make an impact in the political systems within this country.
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