Registered voters in Rockwall County who need a lift to the polls can ride free starting Monday, Oct. 19, when early voting opens.

STAR Transit will provide free round-trip rides to any polling place in its service area through Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 3, the Rockwall County Herald-Banner reported. The offer covers the agency's Demand Response, fixed-route and STARNow services, subject to availability and service-area restrictions.

The free rides apply on weekdays only during the early voting period, which runs Oct. 19–30. They are also available on Election Day.

Riders have two ways to book. STARNow app users can enter the code VOTE1126 to claim the free trip. Everyone else should call (877) 631-5278 at least 30 minutes before they need a ride. Reservation agents answer from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Passengers must tell the bus operator or reservationist they are traveling to or from a polling place. The offer applies only to trips within STAR Transit's service area or STARNow zone.

The STARNow app is free on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Where to vote

Five early voting locations are open across the county. Heath City Hall, 200 Laurence Dr., is among them. The main early voting site is the Rockwall County Courthouse Annex, 1101 E. Yellowjacket Ln. in Rockwall.

During the first week of early voting, Oct. 19–23, polls are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hours expand to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the second week, Oct. 26–30, and on Saturday, Oct. 24. On Sunday, Oct. 25, the Annex is the only location open; voters should confirm hours at RockwallVotes.com.

On Election Day, voters can cast a ballot at any of 14 vote centers countywide, open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club will not serve as a vote center for this election because of ongoing construction, according to the county's Election Day location list.

The Nov. 3 joint election covers federal, state and Rockwall County offices, plus races in Fate and Wylie. County offices on the ballot include county judge, judge of County Court at Law No. 1 (unexpired term), district clerk, county clerk, county treasurer, commissioners in Precincts 2 and 4, justices of the peace in Precincts 1 and 2, and constable in Precinct 3 (unexpired term).

Christopher J. Lynch, the county's early voting clerk, can be reached at 972-204-6200 or [email protected]. Full polling locations and election details are available at RockwallVotes.com.