Election Day 2018 Freebies In Dc Food Drinks And Transportation Deals For Voters

The 2018 midterm elections brought not only an opportunity for citizens to participate in democracy but also a variety of special offers and freebies from businesses across the Washington D.C. area and nationwide. Many companies provided incentives for voters, offering discounts, free food items, and transportation assistance to encourage civic participation. These offers ranged from complimentary fries at popular fast-food chains to discounted rides to polling places, providing voters with tangible benefits for exercising their constitutional rights.

Food and Drink Offers in the DC Area

Several restaurants and food establishments in the Washington D.C. metropolitan region participated in Election Day promotions, rewarding voters with complimentary food items and beverages. These offers required proof of voting, typically demonstrated by showing an "I Voted" sticker received at polling stations.

Shake Shack locations in the D.C. area participated in the nationwide promotion, offering free fries with any purchase on Election Day. Customers could claim this offer either by presenting their "I Voted" sticker at the counter or by using the promotional code "ivoted" through the Shake Shack mobile app. The popular fast-casual chain made it convenient for voters to receive their free fries regardless of how they chose to order.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop extended their Election Day appreciation into the following day, offering a free cookie with any entree purchase not just on Election Day but also on Wednesday, November 7. This two-day promotion gave voters additional flexibility to take advantage of the offer if they couldn't visit a Potbelly location on Election Day itself.

Corner Bakery Cafe, with multiple locations throughout the D.C. area, provided voters with a complimentary brewed or cold brewed coffee of any size with purchase. To receive this offer, customers needed to show their "I Voted" sticker at the time of purchase. This promotion provided voters with a convenient caffeine boost after potentially waiting in line at polling places.

For those with a sweet tooth, Baked by Melissa offered a free cupcake to customers who visited their stores and presented an "I Voted" sticker on Election Day. The company also extended an online promotion, offering 10 percent off online orders placed on November 6 and 7 using the promo code IVOTED2018.

California Tortilla, though with fewer D.C. locations, participated by offering a free order of chips and queso with any purchase for customers who simply said "I voted" when ordering. The offer was valid in-store only, encouraging direct interaction between the business and voters.

Capriotti's Sandwich Shop, while not as widespread in the D.C. area as some other chains, provided voters with a $1 discount on any sub sandwich when they showed their voting sticker. This smaller discount still acknowledged voters' civic participation while maintaining compliance with legal considerations.

Transportation Deals to the Polls

Recognizing that transportation barriers can prevent people from reaching polling places, several ride-sharing and transportation services offered special promotions to encourage voters to get to the polls on Election Day.

Uber provided $10 off a single ride to polling locations on Election Day when customers used the promo code VOTE2018. This discount made it more affordable for voters to travel to their polling stations, particularly beneficial for those who might not have access to personal transportation or who faced challenges with public transit routes.

Lyft offered an even more substantial discount, providing 50 percent off rides to most voting locations on Election Day. This promotion aimed to remove financial barriers to voting by making transportation significantly more affordable for all voters.

For those preferring alternative transportation methods, Lime offered free rides on its bikes and scooters to and from polling places for up to 30 minutes. Users could access this offer by applying the promo code LIME2VOTE18 in the Lime app. This option provided voters with a flexible, environmentally friendly transportation alternative that could help avoid traffic congestion near polling stations.

Zipcar participated in Election Day promotions by offering $20 toward a future trip for customers who rented a vehicle on Election Day. This offer provided voters with an incentive if they needed to use car-sharing services to reach their polling location or to complete other Election Day errands.

In the broader D.C. metropolitan area, public transportation systems also offered free rides on Election Day. Metro trains, buses, and bike shares in Washington D.C. were complimentary, as were Long Beach Transit, Baldwin Park Transit, Pasadena Transit, and Santa Clarita Transit services in neighboring regions. These public transit initiatives helped ensure that economic considerations did not prevent citizens from accessing their polling places.

For those who preferred to bike to the polls, Citi Bike offered a free day pass on November 6 when users entered the promo code "BIKETOVOTE" in the app. This promotion made bike-sharing an accessible option for voters in urban areas with Citi Bike stations.

Legal Context of Election Day Incentives

While Election Day freebies have become increasingly common, they exist in a legally ambiguous space. According to legal experts, it is technically illegal under federal law to offer free stuff in exchange for voting when federal candidates are on the ballot. Rick Hasen, a law professor at UC Irvine, explained to Nation's Restaurant News that "It is illegal in elections when federal candidates are on the ballot to offer free stuff (including free food or drink) to people upon proof of voting."

This legal gray area has led many businesses to structure their promotions in ways that attempt to comply with election laws while still encouraging voter participation. Rather than automatically providing free items to all customers, most promotions require voters to specifically request the deal after presenting their "I Voted" sticker. This approach creates a distinction between a general promotion and a direct exchange for voting.

The Chicago Field Museum initially planned to require voting stickers for free admission but changed its offer to provide free admission to all Illinois residents on Election Day. This modification suggests that businesses are aware of the potential legal implications and are adjusting their offers accordingly.

Despite these legal considerations, the prevalence of Election Day deals continued in 2018, with many retailers viewing them as a way to demonstrate civic engagement and boost business during a typically slow period. The promotions generally remained small in scale, such as free side items or modest discounts, rather than substantial incentives that might more directly appear to be "buying" votes.

Nationwide Offers Beyond DC

While this article focuses on D.C. area offers, Election Day 2018 promotions were available nationwide, providing voters across the country with similar incentives to participate in the democratic process.

In the food and beverage category, several national chains offered Election Day deals. Blaze Pizza, though not specifically detailed in the source material, was mentioned among popular chains offering free food to voters. Bobo's provided a coupon for a free vegan, gluten-free oat bar to customers who shared on social media that they had voted, tagging @eatbobos and using #GetOatTheVote. Chameleon Cold-Brew offered a voucher for a free 10-ounce drink when customers posted a selfie with their "I Voted" sticker on Instagram.

Transportation promotions extended beyond the D.C. area as well. Multiple bike-sharing programs offered free rides with various promo codes: most Motivate programs used BIKETOVOTE, Divvy used VOTE18, and Portland's BIKETOWN used BIKE2VOTE. Several public transit systems provided free rides, including Los Angeles' Metro system, Columbia, South Carolina's COMET bus service, Houston's Metro, and North Carolina's Greensboro Transit Authority.

Some unique offers appeared in specific markets. Cristophe Schatteman Salons, with locations including Washington D.C., offered 50 percent off hairstyle services normally ranging in the $500s. Credo Mobile provided customers with free outbound calls during polling hours in their respective states. In Los Angeles, bars owned by the 1933 Group offered $1 Moscow Mules or Old Fashioneds from 5 to 7 p.m. for anyone with an "I Voted" sticker.

These nationwide offers demonstrated a broad trend of businesses encouraging civic engagement through incentives, while navigating the legal complexities of providing benefits specifically to voters. The variety of promotions across different industries showed how Election Day had become an opportunity for businesses to connect with customers around a shared civic experience.

Conclusion

Election Day 2018 offered voters more than just the opportunity to shape the future of their communities and country—it provided tangible benefits through a variety of freebies and discounts. In the Washington D.C. area, restaurants like Shake Shack, Potbelly, and Corner Bakery Cafe rewarded voters with complimentary food items, while transportation services like Uber, Lyft, and Lime made it easier and more affordable to reach polling places.

These offers existed in a legally ambiguous space, as federal law prohibits providing benefits in exchange for voting. However, businesses structured their promotions to encourage voter participation without explicitly conditioning benefits on the act of voting itself. The widespread availability of these deals, both in D.C. and nationwide, reflected a growing trend of businesses aligning themselves with civic engagement while potentially boosting their own sales during a significant national event.

For voters, these incentives provided small rewards for participating in democracy, potentially encouraging higher turnout by removing some barriers—whether financial or logistical—to voting. For businesses, the promotions offered a way to demonstrate social responsibility while connecting with customers around shared values of civic participation.

Sources

1. FOX 5 DC - Freebies and Deals Being Offered on Election Day 2018
2. USA Today - Election Day 2018 free rides, polls and other deals
3. Elite Daily - These Election Day 2018 Deals Are Just Another Reason For You To Get Out Vote
4. Thrillist - Free Food on Election Day if You Vote