Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.
That’s the mentality behind bringing Friday Night Lights star Taylor Kitsch onto the Ridesharing Works for Austin campaign—just a week shy from the city’s election that determine’s Uber and Lyft’s fate.
Kitsch, who has been in True Detective, Snakes on a Plane, and Battleship, campaigned in favor of Proposition 1—legislation supported by the ride-hailing giants—on the University of Texas’s West Mall on Thursday. The demonstration follows UT Student Government’s vote to endorse the proposition.
https://twitter.com/chasebennett_95/status/725746205918003200
Taylor Kitsch on the West Mall earlier: "you voting #forProp1?"
— huey fischer garcía (@HueyRey) April 28, 2016
UT student: "Voted with my roommate yesterday!" pic.twitter.com/QBSRFo2UTE
The celebrity endorsement comes at a critical time for Uber and Lyft, following days after Austin Mayor Steve Adler announced his opposition to the proposition.
Uber and Lyft have threatened to leave Austin if the legislation—exempting the transportation network companies from implementing fingerprint-based background checks—fails to convince a majority of the city’s voting population. Kitsch is Uber and Lyft’s attempt to reach their key millennial user base before the election takes place May 7.
So far the $2 million campaign has invested in TV ads and outreach to drive its message home. Lyft has even offered discounts and free rides valued up to $10 to take Austinites to polling locations. In the first two days of early voting, turnout doubled at the school’s two polling locations compared to the presidential primary on March 1, according to the Daily Texan.
Uber is no stranger to celebrity love. When a similar battle emerged in New York City last year, some of them spoke out in favor of the ride-hailing company.
Mayor @BilldeBlasio supports NYC bill that destroys job opps for over 10K NYers by placing strict limits on new for-hire vehicle licenses
— ashton kutcher (@aplusk) July 20, 2015
.@BilldeBlasio: 25K new residents use @Uber_NYC each week. How is a fixed # of cars supposed to serve this demand for rides? #UberMovesNYC
— Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) July 22, 2015
.@BilldeBlasio Why do you want to return to days when only those in Midtown & Lower Manhattan could get a ride? #UberMovesNYC
— Kate Upton (@KateUpton) July 22, 2015
Can Kitsch carry Austin for the ride-hailing industry? We’re a week away from finding out.