Here are some ways you can get help from ridesharing companies, among others, to get to your polling place on November 6th.
Lyft on Election Day
Lyft made headlines this summer with the promise of free rides on Election Day. It’s focusing on increasing voter turnout by improving access to transportation with its “Ride to Vote” campaign. It is offering free rides to underserved communities, thanks to donations from non-partisan and nonprofit organizations, like Student Vets of America. But this is only part of the picture (awesome picture that it is). Lyft is also offering all users 50% off their rides on Election Day. You’ll need a promo code (which you can find here) to get the discount.
Uber on Election Day
Uber’s promotion, called “Uber Drives the Vote,” also offers a discount to promote voter turnout. But it has a few more terms and conditions. In a press release issued on October 24, Uber specifies that it’s offering a $10 credit to get you to your polling place, using the most cost-effective Uber (UberPOOL, for example, instead of UberX). The discount does not apply to getting you back from your polling place. Uber will make its discount code available on Election Day. The caveats for this promotion include the following: Michigan and Puerto Rico voters won’t have access to this at all… and the company reserves the right to add charges if there is unexpected demand.
Other options to get to the polls on Election Day
Prefer to take a bike instead of a car? Lime Bike will offer a free ride (using code LIME2VOTE18) in over 100 cities where you can find its bright green beacon. You can use a bike or e-scooter to get to and from a polling place, but you’ll be on a tight timeline: 30 minutes.
Some cities and municipalities are also taking the initiative to improve voter turnout. Los Angeles’ Metropolitan Transit Authority will waive fares on its trains and buses on November 6th. City-based bike systems, like Chicago’s Divvy Bikes, Boston’s BlueBikes, Portland’s Biketown, and New York City’s Citibike, will also offer free rides to help get out the vote. (Importantly, Motivate, which works with cities to roll out these bikes, is owned by Lyft.) Other cities taking the initiative include Tuscon, Greensboro, Iowa City, Sarasota, and Raleigh — just to name a few.
It doesn’t matter if it’s by car, train, bus, or bike — make sure you find a way to vote!
