I Voted Freebies And Deals How Businesses Rewarded Voters On Election Day 2018

Introduction

Election Day 2018 saw businesses across the United States offering a variety of freebies, discounts, and promotional deals to voters who presented their "I Voted" stickers. These promotions ranged from complimentary food and beverages to discounted transportation services, representing a nationwide trend of civic engagement through commercial incentives. The offers varied significantly by location, with some businesses targeting specific cities or regions while others operated nationally through digital codes and apps. This comprehensive analysis examines the landscape of Election Day 2018 freebies, their distribution patterns, and the underlying context that shaped these promotional strategies.

The data reveals that while many smaller local businesses participated in voter appreciation programs, larger national chains were notably less represented, likely due to federal regulations governing electoral incentives. The offers concentrated primarily in food and beverage sectors, with additional promotions in transportation and lifestyle services. Understanding these patterns provides insight into how businesses navigated the intersection of civic duty and marketing during the 2018 midterm elections.

Geographic Distribution of Offers

California Promotions

California showed strong participation in Election Day freebie programs, particularly in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Village Bakery & Cafe in Atwater Village offered a complimentary "I Voted" cookie to customers displaying their stickers, creating a localized celebration of civic participation. CREAM, a cookie establishment with locations in North Hollywood and Northridge, provided 20% discounts on entire orders for sticker-bearing customers, demonstrating how food service businesses leveraged Election Day traffic for increased sales.

Coffee shops represented another significant category of California participants. Klatch Coffee, with locations in Redondo Beach, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and San Dimas, offered a 6-ounce traditional cappuccino for $2.18 to customers with "I Voted" stickers. This promotion not only incentivized voting but also created a memorable price point that connected civic engagement with value-conscious consumers.

Texas Market Participation

The Texas market, particularly Houston, showed extensive participation from local restaurants and bars. Pearl Restaurant and Bar offered complimentary bar bites with any drink purchase for sticker-wearing customers. Antone's Famous Po' Boys provided free cookies or brownies at their North Loop and West Loop locations for voters displaying stickers. Sud Italia offered free glasses of wine, while Molina's Cantina featured $6 margaritas at both locations on Election Day.

Houston's Watch Co. provided half off the first drink for customers with "I Voted" stickers, creating a direct connection between civic participation and social spending. Several establishments offered percentage-based discounts: Karma Kolache provided 10% off purchases, Feges BBQ offered 10% discounts, and Houston Flying Saucer gave 10% off entrees (excluding alcohol) for sticker holders.

New York and Manhattan Market

Manhattan demonstrated significant business participation through Birch Coffee, which offered free drip coffee at 10 locations in Manhattan. This concentrated urban approach reflected the high population density and political engagement typical of the New York City metropolitan area. Baked by Melissa, with multiple Manhattan locations, provided free cupcakes to voters with stickers, creating a high-profile, shareable promotion that encouraged social media engagement.

Transportation and Mobility Offers

Ride-Sharing Services

Transportation services played a significant role in Election Day promotions, with multiple companies offering discounted or free rides to polling locations. Getaround provided $10 off Election Day car rentals using promo code GETAROUND2VOTE, targeting voters who needed reliable transportation to voting sites. The service specifically focused on single-day car access, addressing the immediate need for transportation on Election Day.

Lyft offered more complex pricing structures, providing either 50% off or up to $5 off rides to polling places, depending on location. The service required users to enter their zip codes on BuzzFeed to determine available discounts, creating a location-specific promotional strategy that maximized coverage while maintaining profitability.

Uber provided $10 off a single ride to polls using promo code VOTE2018, creating the most straightforward transportation offer among major ride-sharing services. This promotion targeted the specific need for getting to and from voting locations, positioning the service as civic-minded while encouraging user acquisition and retention.

Alternative Transportation

Lime, the bike and scooter sharing service, offered free 30-minute rides using code LIME2VOTE18 for users in areas with available Lime vehicles. This promotion addressed both environmental concerns and the need for short-distance transportation to polling locations, creating a multi-benefit offer for environmentally conscious voters.

Motivate, the bike-share operator, provided free bike rides with "I Voted" stickers at various cities where Motivate bikes were available. The service required checking their city list to determine availability, indicating a more complex promotional structure that depended on municipal partnerships and local bike-share infrastructure.

National Food and Restaurant Chains

Sandwich and Quick-Service Restaurants

National food chains showed selective participation in Election Day promotions. Capriotti's Sandwich Shop provided $1 off any submarine sandwich for customers showing voting stickers, creating a simple, value-focused promotion that applied across their store locations. Jersey Mike's Subs offered $2 off Jersey Mike's Subs with a coupon, representing one of the more substantial discount offers from national chains.

Shake Shack provided free fries with any purchase on Election Day, creating a high-value offer that required a minimum purchase while providing meaningful savings. The promotion applied to all Shake Shack locations, making it one of the most accessible national offers for voters.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop demonstrated an extended promotional period, offering free cookies with any purchase on both Tuesday and Wednesday (November 6-7) for customers with "I Voted" stickers or those who simply asked for the cookie. This two-day window and sticker-optional approach made the promotion particularly accessible and consumer-friendly.

Mexican and Tex-Mex Establishments

California Tortilla offered free chips and queso with any purchase for customers who said "I voted" on Tuesday, with the promotion valid in-store only. This offer required verbal participation, creating engagement beyond mere sticker presentation. Condado Tacos provided free tacos for customers showing "I Voted" stickers, with participating locations varying by market.

Twin Peaks offered free chips and queso with the purchase of a beverage at participating locations for customers bringing "I Voted" stickers, combining food and beverage sales while encouraging sticker visibility. Jimboy's Tacos connected Election Day to National Nacho Day, offering nachos for $5.50 on Tuesday, creating a thematic connection between civic participation and food holidays.

Pizza and Casual Dining

Blaze Pizza provided free delivery for any order placed through the Blaze Pizza app on Tuesday, encouraging digital engagement while providing practical value for voters. Miller's Ale House offered first beer for $1 for customers who said "I Voted," creating a memorable price point that encouraged alcohol sales while acknowledging civic participation.

Food and Beverage Product Promotions

Specialty Food Products

Several food brands offered promotions that required social media engagement. Bobo's, which specializes in vegan and gluten-free oat bars, provided coupons for free oat bars to customers who shared that they voted on social media. The promotion required tagging @eatbobos and using #GetOatTheVote, creating brand awareness while rewarding civic participation.

Baked by Melissa not only offered free cupcakes in stores with "I Voted" stickers but also provided 10% off online orders for Tuesday and Wednesday using promo code IVOTED2018, extending the promotion to both physical and digital channels.

Beverage Companies

Chameleon Cold-Brew provided vouchers for free 10-ounce bottles when customers posted selfies with their "I Voted" stickers on Instagram. The promotion required tagging @ChameleonColdBrew and using #FuelTheVote, creating user-generated content while rewarding civic engagement. Corner Bakery Cafe offered free brewed or cold brewed coffee with any purchase and an "I Voted" sticker on Tuesday, combining food and beverage sales.

Fatz Southern Kitchen provided free Fatz Famous Sweet Tea with an entree purchase and an "I Voted" sticker on Tuesday, creating a regional specialty offer that tied civic participation to local food culture.

Regulatory and Legal Context

The limited participation of larger national chains in Election Day 2018 promotions reflected compliance with federal regulations governing electoral incentives. The legal context around offering freebies in exchange for voting is complex, particularly when federal candidates appear on ballots. This regulatory environment likely influenced many larger businesses to avoid direct voter incentives, resulting in a promotion landscape dominated by smaller local businesses and select national brands.

The 2018 midterm elections featured numerous federal races, which may have contributed to the reduced participation of major chains compared to local elections or off-year promotions. This regulatory constraint created opportunities for smaller businesses to gain positive publicity and customer loyalty through civic engagement without facing the same compliance concerns as national corporations.

Digital and Social Media Integration

The 2018 Election Day promotions demonstrated increasing integration of social media and digital marketing strategies. Many offers required specific hashtag usage, social media posts, or app-based redemption codes, reflecting the growing importance of digital engagement in promotional marketing. Baked by Melissa's online discount code IVOTED2018 exemplified how traditional businesses extended promotions beyond physical locations to capture online sales.

The requirement for social media engagement in promotions like Bobo's oat bar offer and Chameleon Cold-Brew's Instagram campaign demonstrated how brands leveraged civic enthusiasm for organic marketing content. These strategies created authentic engagement while rewarding participation in democratic processes.

Regional Variations and Local Market Adaptation

The data reveals significant regional variation in both the quantity and type of Election Day promotions. California showed strong coffee and bakery participation, while Texas featured extensive restaurant and bar offers. The Northeastern market, particularly New York, demonstrated higher participation from specialty food brands and urban-focused services.

These regional differences likely reflect local business cultures, population density, and market competition levels. Urban areas like New York and Los Angeles showed more digital-integrated promotions, while Texas markets featured more traditional restaurant and bar incentives. The variation suggests that successful Election Day marketing requires local market adaptation rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.

Family and Childcare Considerations

Some businesses addressed family needs during Election Day through childcare services. YMCA locations across the country offered free childcare for parents while they visited polls, addressing the practical challenge of bringing children to voting locations. This service recognized that childcare barriers could prevent civic participation and provided a solution that supported both family needs and democratic engagement.

The YMCA promotions required checking with local facilities for specific details, indicating that these offers were implemented at the individual facility level rather than through national policy. This decentralized approach allowed local YMCA branches to determine their capacity and availability while participating in the broader civic celebration.

Technology and App-Based Promotions

Election Day 2018 marked increased use of mobile apps and digital platforms for promotional distribution. Blaze Pizza's app-exclusive free delivery, Lyft's zip code-based discount determination, and Lime's promotional code system all demonstrated how technology enabled more sophisticated and targeted promotional strategies.

These digital approaches allowed businesses to track promotional uptake, gather customer data, and provide location-specific offers that maximized relevance while maintaining cost control. The integration of technology in civic engagement promotions reflected broader trends in marketing toward personalized, data-driven customer relationships.

Economic Impact and Consumer Behavior

The widespread availability of Election Day freebies created a "voting bonus" economic environment where civic participation was directly rewarded with commercial benefits. These promotions likely increased voter turnout by adding tangible value to the act of voting, particularly for individuals who might otherwise skip voting due to time constraints or lack of motivation.

The promotions also encouraged voter sticker visibility, creating social reinforcement for civic engagement. As people displayed their stickers to receive offers, they inadvertently promoted voting within their social circles, potentially creating positive feedback loops for civic participation.

Conclusion

The Election Day 2018 freebie landscape represented a complex intersection of civic duty, marketing strategy, and regulatory compliance. The promotions demonstrated how businesses could create positive associations with democratic participation while generating customer loyalty and brand awareness. The dominance of food and beverage offers reflected the practical, immediate rewards that resonate most strongly with consumers, while transportation services addressed real barriers to voting.

The regional variation in promotions, combined with the selective participation of national chains, highlighted the importance of local market adaptation and regulatory compliance in civic engagement marketing. The increasing integration of digital and social media elements in these promotions reflected broader trends in consumer marketing toward interactive, shareable experiences.

For future civic engagement initiatives, the 2018 Election Day promotions provide valuable insights into how businesses can meaningfully participate in democratic processes while creating genuine value for participants. The success of these offers suggests that well-designed civic promotions can simultaneously support democratic engagement, reward participating consumers, and create positive brand associations for businesses.

The 2018 offerings established a template for future Election Day marketing that balances promotional value, legal compliance, and authentic civic engagement. As democratic participation continues to evolve, these promotional strategies demonstrate how commercial incentives can meaningfully support civic goals while creating positive consumer experiences.

Sources

1. All The #ElectionDay 2018 Food And Booze Freebies And Deals
2. Election Day 2018 is your chance to make your voice heard, and if you did, it's also your chance to snag some freebies, discounts and other deals from restaurants and stores.
3. Election Day freebies & offers 2018
4. More rides: Several transit systems across the nation are offering free rides Tuesday including Los Angeles' Metro system, Columbia, South Carolina's bus service the COMET, the Metro in Houston, and the Greensboro Transit Authority in North Carolina. which is offering free fares system-wide Tuesday.
5. If you vote (or even if you don't) there are a lot of freebies nationwide on Election Day.