Bus Riders Vote: A Report on Voter Engagement for Nassau County Bus Riders

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Bus Riders Vote: A Report on Voter Engagement for Nassau County Bus Riders"

Charleen Lawrence
5 years ago
Views:

Written by Charlene Obernauer, Executive Director of Long Island Jobs with Justice

1 Bus Riders Vote: A Report on Voter Engagement for Nassau County Bus Riders October 1 st, 2013 By the Long Island Bus Riders Union and Long Island Jobs with Justice Written by Charlene Obernauer, Executive Director of Long Island Jobs with Justice Research conducted by Aaron Watkins- Lopez, Organizer with Long Island Jobs with Justice

2 Background and Method The Long Island Bus Riders Union, an organization of bus riders and public transit advocates that supports affordable, equitable, and accessible mass transportation conducted a survey of three hundred bus riders throughout the month of September The primary objectives of the survey were to: Determine the number of Nassau County bus riders that are politically active. Understand how important public transportation is in the voting habits of bus riders. The research involved in- person interviews with bus riders at Nassau County bus terminals. Bus riders self- reported on their voting history, their plans to vote in November 2013 elections, and the importance of public transportation in their voting choices. 284 bus riders participated in the survey, giving a margin of error of +/- 6%. Summary of Findings After surveying 284 bus riders at major Nassau County bus terminals, we found that: 1. 55% of bus riders surveyed had voted in the past two years and 45% had not % of bus riders plan to vote in the November 2013 elections, 28% did not plan to vote, and 14% are unsure % of bus riders who had voted in the past two years rated public transportation a very important issue for them during an election. Voting Histories of Bus Riders We interviewed 284 bus riders, asking whether or not they had voted in the past two years. Of the nearly 300 bus riders that were surveyed, 77% of riders were Long Island residents, 21% were residents of New York or New Jersey, and 2% did not identify their residency. Bus riders are often overlooked in electoral races, despite high levels of voter turnout. Our survey showed that, of the bus riders that we interviewed, 55% said that they had voted in the past two years, versus 45% who had not.

180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 Bus Riders Who Voted in Past Two Years Bus Riders Who Voted Bus Riders Who Did Not Vote Comparatively, throughout all of Long Island, only 22% of voters turned out

When bus riders were asked whether or not they planned to vote in the November elections, riders were very optimistic.

3 Bus Riders Who Voted in Past Two Years Bus Riders Who Voted Bus Riders Who Did Not Vote Comparatively, throughout all of Long Island, only 22% of voters turned out in the 2011 elections, versus 63% for the presidential elections in Bus riders turnout was high, but their self- projected turnout for the November 2013 elections was even higher. When bus riders were asked whether or not they planned to vote in the November elections, riders were very optimistic. 58% said that they planned to vote in November 2013, compared to 55% who actually voted in the prior two years. 28% did not plan to vote, and 14% said that they may vote, but were unsure. For some, changing citizenship status and turning 18 impacted their ability to vote in the past, but they had since registered and planned to vote during the upcoming elections Self- Projected Bus Rider Turnout for November 2013 Elections 0 Will Vote Will Not Vote May Vote 1 Analysis by the Long Island Civic Engagement Table conducted using the Voter Activation Network database.

4 Importance of Public Transportation in Voting Habits of Bus Riders Regardless of whether or not bus riders were active voters, or had not voted in years, public transportation was a critical issue in their voting habits. Bus riders were asked to rate, on a 1-5 scale, how important public transportation was to them when they vote for a candidate. 69% of bus riders who had voted in the past 2 years said that public transportation was a very important issue to them during elections % 70.00% 60.00% 50.00% 40.00% 30.00% 20.00% 10.00% Importance of Public Tranportation Issues to Voting Bus Riders 0.00% Not Important at all Not very important Somewhat Important Very important Most Important Conclusion Survey results have shown that bus riders do turnout in both local and general elections, and that their votes are oftentimes swayed by candidates support or attacks on public transportation. The results, however, are not surprising. Nassau County s bus system carries over 100,000 people, many of whom rely exclusively on public transportation to get to work or to school. When the a specific bus line gets cut due to underfunding or restructuring, bus riders livelihoods are literally put at stake. When bus riders vote for candidates because of their alleged support or disdain for public transportation, they are doing so because public transportation is critical to their every day life. Despite bus riders high levels of turnout during the elections and their passion for reliable public transportation, bus riders or their issues are rarely a topic of discussion during Long Island electoral campaigns. However, bus riders care

5 passionately about public transportation, with 69% calling it the most important issue to them when voting in elections. Elected officials should: - Take notice of service problems in their districts by attending Transit Advisory Committee meetings and keeping up- to- date with transit advocates recommendations, including calls to fix broken Metrocard machines. - Regularly meet with disability rights organizations to understand problems unique to disabled bus riders. - Ride the buses themselves after quarterly changes are implemented to gain an understanding of problems riders might be experiencing. - Speak with bus riders at bus terminals to advocate not only for better bus service in their district, but for better bus service as a whole. Bus riders are a critical artery to Nassau County s daily life, and it s critical that elected officials have a finger on the pulse of bus riders problems in order to better address their concerns in a systematic and timely manner. Bus riders vote, and they see public transportation as one of the most important issues to them when they vote for candidates. By addressing bus riders concerns, elected officials will be doing a service not only to themselves, but also to the County as a whole ensuring that workers can get to their jobs, that businesses are well staffed, and that students can be on time for their classes. The County, and bus riders, will thank them. For any questions about the work of the Bus Riders Union, or about this report, visit us online at

PORTUGUESE SOCIAL CLUB PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND EVALUATION OF THE 2008 ELECTIONS February 25, 2010

The Portuguese American Citizenship Project A non-partisan initiative to promote citizenship and civic involvement PORTUGUESE SOCIAL CLUB PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND EVALUATION OF THE 2008 ELECTIONS February