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Lyft's discount rides to the polls violated Georgia law, State Election Board rules

The Brief The State Election Board has found that Lyft violated Georgia law by offering discounted rides to voters on Election Day. Board members argued that the discounted service mainly benefits voters in the metro Atlanta area and violates a law against paying for votes. The ruling does not come with any punishment or criminal investigation. ATLANTA - A new Georgia State Election Board ruling has found that ridesharing company Lyft violated state law by offering discounted rides to the polls on Election Day. The board voted 3 to 1 that the company broke the law against paying for votes with the discounts. The backstory Lyft and other ridesharing services have offered discounts of up to 50% for any voters heading to the polls in Georgia for the last few years on Election Day. The discounts usually require a promotional code. The Georgia Secretary of State's Office has been investigating the service, and submitted its findings to the State Election Board on Tuesday. What they're saying Republican Janice Johnson argued that, while Georgians have access to the service, the program unfairly benefited those in the state's metro areas compared to those in rural parts of the state. Johnson pointed to a report by the Secretary of State's office, which showed that the metro Atlanta area and North Georgia had media coverage of the discounted ride offer. "I like the idea of rides to the polls, but it must be offered to every voter in Georgia to be a fair offer. Otherwise, it's a gift or a payment to vote, which seems to me to be a violation of [the law]," Johnson said. The other side Democrat Sara Tindall Ghazal compared Lyft's Election Day offer to those of Georgia churches or community groups that help voters get to their local polling place. "To suggest that the only way that is not considered a gift is that it's offered statewide is nonsensical to me," she said. "I understand that Lyft is statewide - wherever Lyft operates, which is really dependent on the freelancers who drive for Lyft, and I don't know that there's any way to understand the scope of where those services are offered." What's next The ruling does not come with any punishment or criminal investigation, but the State Election Board will send a letter to Lyft informing the company that the policy violates Georgia election law. The board also dismissed a similar case regarding the national group Rideshare to Vote, saying that the free rides the organization offered did not violate the law. The Source Information for this story came from a hearing by the State Election Board. Solve the daily Crossword