Free Childcare to Help Get Parents to the Polls

Politisit is partnering with local childcare providers to have free childcare available to voters this Election Day.

MIAMI DADE COUNTY, 5 November 2022 – Politisit, a non-partisan non-profit organization, is partnering with the YWCA South Florida to make it easier for parents in Miami Dade County to cast their ballots this election. The following polling site will have drop-in care available on Election Day:

• Palm Lakes Elementary (7450 W 16th Ave) from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m. and can accommodate 30 children at a time.

Making sure every eligible voter can vote is the bedrock of democracy. The cost of childcare can be a barrier to parents voting. Certified childcare facilities are setting up childcare with Politisit’s help so parents don’t have to pick between safe care for their children and casting their ballots.

Many eligible voters with young children must find reliable and affordable child care before going to the polls, which comes at a cost. This can be especially problematic and expensive if lines require a wait. Dr. Andrew Joseph Pegoda of the University of Houston, who conducts research on voter participation, says that people often tell him they cannot access the ballot box due to lack of resources, such as child care.

Low-income Americans and communities of color are disproportionately impacted by this. A 2014 Pew study showed that almost half of those who didn’t vote have family incomes under $30K, and the poverty line for a family of 5 is $30K. Also, 43% of those who don’t cast a ballot are Hispanic, African-American or other racial and ethnic minorities. These statistics were consistent with 2010 and 2012 studies. Pew also found in 2016 that 14% of registered voters cited being “Too busy or conflicting schedule” as their reason for not voting in the 2016 elections, while 2% cited “Inconvenient hours or polling place.”  In fact, the wait to vote in 2012 is estimated to have cost Americans $544 million in lost productivity and wages. With burdens such as these falling disproportionately on communities of color and low-income Americans, voter turnout statistics are unsurprising.

Politisit’s initiative to ensure the cost of childcare isn’t a barrier to voting will have an impact on voter turnout in the communities where we are partnering with childcare facilities.

Politisit is a nonpartisan nonprofit founded by Rachel Sowray after seeing the long lines to vote in the 2016 election. She hopes that this initiative will enfranchise parents, and the program will continue to grow and reach even more states in future elections. The Childcare for Voters program was established in 2020 and served sites in Texas and Florida, this year parents in Texas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania can benefit from the program.

More information is available at www.Politisit.org/Voting or by emailing Info@Politisit.org