Phone company, Boost Mobile is passionate about the equal right to vote and unequal voting access.
It is well documented that low-income and minority Americans face significantly more obstacles to cast their ballot – they are more likely to wait in hours-long lines, and have fewer polling locations, resources, and volunteers, according to a press release by Boost Mobile.
Because their stores are often located in the communities where these problems are most prevalent, the company in collaboration with 180LA, reached out to election boards and proposed a new solution: offering Boost Mobile stores nationwide to serve as polling places on election day.
“No one should stand in line for hours because they live in a lower-income neighborhood, said Peiti Feng, Director, Brand Strategy and Marketing Communications at Boost Mobile. “Every American citizen has the right to vote and as a democracy, we’re obligated to provide equal access at the polls. Unequal voting access is a real problem for the demographic we serve which is why we’re offering our storefronts as additional polling sites to help on November 8th and inspire change for future elections.”
Boost has 5,000 standalone stores that it is offer for use in 817 counties in 45 states.
Brian Farkas, Associate Create Director at 180LA added “This simple solution has big implications. We hope to create a shining example of what can happen when governments and corporations work together for the people we both serve.”
The end result?
Several counties have taken Boost Mobile up on its offer include Chicago and Southern California, making this the first time a brand has made a nationwide offer of its private storefronts to serve as polling locations while other counties have requested resources such as cell phones and volunteers.”
“Many of the stores that are become polling places on Nov. 8 are in multi-cultural neighborhoods with Hispanic residents making up 30-60+% of each city’s population,” a recent press release stated.
On November 7th, Boost Mobile partnered with Chance the Rapper’s charity, Social Works, and Virgin Hotels Chicago to host a line-up of musical guests for a Parade to the Polls concert on top of the hotel’s entrance overlooking Wabash & Lake in Chicago.
“This election is very important, a chance for new leaders and new opportunities to emerge,” Chance said. “Social Works and I are proud to partner with Virgin Hotels Chicago, Boost Your Voice and The TurboVote Challenge to give everyone a voice in the democratic process and encourage people to vote, both locally and nationally.”
