High School Graduate Secures First Voter ID

Meet Jovonte! 

Jovonte is an 18-year-old living in Florida who works at Subway and loves to cut hair. 

After graduating high school in June, Jovonte needed an ID to get a job. Luckily, he was connected to VoteRiders through Sage Shared Living, a group home where he has resided since aging out of foster care. 

Eli Garcia, VoteRiders’ Florida Organizer, came on board to help Jovonte secure his driver’s permit. She requested a new copy of his birth certificate, made him a DMV appointment, arranged round-trip transportation, provided one-on-one assistance at the DMV, and covered all  costs. 

“VoteRiders helped me out big time because now I can get a job – I can do a lot more things,” said Jovonte.

Now, with a driver’s permit, Jovonte is planning to look for a new job so he can save more money for college. He also plans to use his ID to travel and vote. 

“I signed up to be a voter, so now I can participate in elections – do my research on presidents coming up,” Jovonte explained. 

Before VoteRiders, Jovonte was among the 18% of citizens aged 18 – 24 without a photo ID with their current address and name. With VoteRiders’ help, young citizens like Jovonte won’t be sidelined when it comes to voting in our democracy.