DART is offering free rides on various services to polling locations on Election Day. Here’s how it works.
Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, November 3, and it’s important to get all your ducks in a row ahead of time to make sure you know what’s going to be on the ballot, where your polling location is, and how you’re going to get there. Thankfully, this helpful voter’s guide walks you through specific steps like how to check your registration and who’s running in each race.
In terms of getting to the polling locations themselves, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has residents covered. DART is offering free rides to the polls all day on November 3 on its buses, trains, GoLink on-demand service, Silver Line, paratransit services, Dallas Streetcar, and Trinity Railway Express (TRE).
NOTE: Free rides are not being offered during the early voting period running through October 30. They will only be available on Election Day itself.
The chief operations officer and EVP of DART, Trenise Winters, spoke about the offer in a press release. Winters said, “Every citizen has a basic right to vote. However, transportation to get to a polling location stops far too many people from casting their ballots. We are excited to have the opportunity to provide this free service on election day.”
Before we dive into how to utilize your free DART ride, let’s talk about where you’re actually going to go to vote first. Your polling location is directly related to the county you live in, and each county has a designated election website you can access to pinpoint where you need to be.
Dallas County’s (Dallas, Addison, Garland, Farmers Branch, Cockrell Hill, University Park, Carrollton, Glenn Heights, Rowlett, Irving) can be found here.
Ellis County (Glenn Heights) is accessible through this link.
For Denton County (Carrollton), click here.
Collin County’s (Richardson, Plano, Carrollton) is located at this website.
And finally, Rockwall County’s (Rowlett) election information is available here.
How to utilize DART’s free ride offer
To take advantage of DART’s free Election Day rides, you’ll need to follow certain steps when using some of the offered services. For all DART trains and buses, riders must show a government-issued ID or voter registration card to waive the ticket fee. The rest of the regulations are as follows:
- Paratransit Services — Riders must schedule any trips taken on November 3 in advance by calling 214-515-7272.
- GoLink — Riders can receive a free adult local day pass by entering promo code VOTENOV3 in the DART GoPass app.
Silver Line, Dallas Streetcar, and Trinity Railway Express rides will be completely free and don’t require an ID. Additional details and information can be found here.
NOTE: Free rides are only offered to polling locations within DART’s service areas. If you need help planning your trip, or making sure your polling place falls into that category, you can contact customer service directly at 214-979-1111.
If it’s your first time at the polls, here are some tips to read through in advance to make the process as easy as possible. A key point to remember is that you must bring a valid, unexpired ID with you. For anyone who doesn’t have an ID, you can submit this form and proof of residency (like a bank statement or utility bill) to still vote on November 3.
