Who we are
We are a nonpartisan, unaffiliated community group of volunteers – in fact, 2 sibling groups (Bull City Votes and Durham Drives) – deeply rooted in Durham, North Carolina. For over 20 years, our volunteers – motivated by a commitment to social justice, racial equity, and community-building – have worked to ensure that every voice in our community is heard, especially those most often silenced or excluded.
In Durham as elsewhere, systemic barriers continue to disenfranchise many of our neighbors. Historic and ongoing injustices mean that many community members – particularly Black and Brown folks, young people, those facing economic hardship, immigrants, and people without stable housing – encounter greater obstacles to voting. These barriers are not just logistical; they are rooted in a long history of racial and social inequity.
The Challenge
We play a unique role in the voting ecosystem. We partner with Durhamites to ensure that barriers they face -- transportation, housing insecurity, disabilities, language and reading, navigating the polls, and anti-democratic voting laws -- don't keep them from exercising their right to vote and having their vote count. We also advocate to reduce and remove these systemic barriers.
Our model prioritizes warm, curious, one-on-one conversations. We practice deep canvassing to engage prospective voters around the power of their vote and the practical impact of elections on issues that matter to them.
And then we roll up our sleeves to do whatever is needed to ensure that every eligible voter we meet has an opportunity to vote. Partnering with a voter in this way can take many different forms:
assisting with voter registration
taking someone home to locate their ID
navigating college ID challenges
applying for a Voter ID
ensuring disability-friendly or young child-friendly transportation
scheduling a ride to vote when someone is busy working 2 jobs
sharing candidate information
walking through how to fill out a ballot
navigating the polls
driving the voter on to wherever they are going next
We’re inspired every day by the commitment of so many neighbors to vote, despite the roadblocks they face.
Our Response
Our Reach
We work throughout Durham County, NC from these spaces:
Bus Station: Based at the downtown Durham bus station, we have the opportunity to connect with a wide variety of Durhamites and particularly with people who do not have easeful transportation options for voting. Many bus riders and other folks who spend time in and around the bus station also navigate significant other barriers to voting. As well, they are people whom other canvassing often does not reach. Over the years, we have come to know many of these neighbors.
Campuses: We work at NC Central University and Duke University, responding to pervasive college student disenfranchisement threats – particularly for young people of color – and other unique student voting situations. We partner with campus groups in these efforts.
Specific Precincts: We also do some work in specific precincts where there are particularly high levels of barriers to voting. Our connecting with prospective voters goes beyond what can be done with voter walk lists. We connect with people where they congregate (popular local restaurants, smoke shops, corner stores); engage with everyone we meet; and drive them right then and there to vote.
Ride Request Line: We provide an on-demand service where voters from across the county call us for an immediate or scheduled ride from wherever they are to wherever they are going afterward.
Outside of election season, we work on big-picture opportunities around preserving our precious and threatened voting rights. We are grateful to work within a broader context of many organizations doing incredible voting rights work.
Our Impact
Empowering Voters: We have partnered with thousands of Durhamites – many from historically made-marginalized communities – to register, learn about their rights, connect the dots between the issues they care about and voting, and cast their ballots. In 2024, we drove over 1,000 voters to the polls – the vast majority of whom would not have voted otherwise.
Building Trust: We are committed to equity and the opportunity to connect person-to-person with each neighbor we meet. This way of being has mutual benefits. And it has made us a trusted resource, especially among those who have reason to distrust traditional institutions.
Challenging Injustice: By addressing the root causes of disenfranchisement, we are not just helping people vote – we are advancing equity and justice more broadly.
“On Tuesday, I confirmed a ride pickup for Miss C. By the time I arrived that afternoon at her senior co-housing facility in Precinct 55-11, she had recruited two of her neighbors and friends at the facility to join. They were so appreciative of the ride and were beyond thrilled that they were able to get to the polls. ”
