2018 Election Day Voter Perks A Guide To Free Rides Food Discounts And Civic Rewards

Election Day 2018 presented a unique landscape of promotional offers designed to facilitate voter participation and reward civic engagement. Across the United States, a variety of businesses, including transportation services, restaurants, and retailers, introduced special deals, freebies, and discounts for individuals casting their ballots on Tuesday, November 6. These initiatives aimed to address common barriers to voting, such as transportation challenges, while also celebrating the democratic process. The availability of these offers varied by location and participating outlets, often requiring specific actions from voters, such as presenting an "I Voted" sticker, using promotional codes, or engaging on social media.

The range of promotions spanned multiple categories, offering benefits to commuters, diners, and shoppers. Transportation companies, including ride-sharing and bike-sharing services, provided significant discounts and free rides to and from polling places to help voters overcome logistical hurdles. Meanwhile, numerous food and beverage establishments offered complimentary items or price reductions, typically contingent on proof of voting. Retailers also joined in by providing percentage-based discounts on purchases. It is important to note that while many of these offers were widely publicized, some were subject to specific geographic limitations, participation policies, and expiration dates. This guide details the specific perks available during the 2018 election cycle, outlining the eligibility criteria and redemption processes for each.

Transportation and Mobility Solutions

Recognizing that transportation can be a significant obstacle to voting, several companies offered free or discounted rides to polling locations on Election Day. These services aimed to ensure that eligible voters could reach their designated polling places without incurring high costs.

Ride-Sharing Services

Major ride-sharing platforms provided financial incentives for voters. Lyft announced a nationwide offer of 50 percent off rides to the polls, with an additional provision for free rides in underserved communities facing significant transportation barriers. To access this discount, users were directed to enter their zip code on a partner website. Uber offered a $10 discount on a single ride to the polls for rides taken on Election Day. This promotion applied to the most affordable Uber options available in a user's city, such as Express POOL, POOL, or UberX. To redeem the offer, users needed the most recent version of the Uber app and were required to enter the promotional code VOTE2VOTE2018 or VOTE2018.

Bike-Sharing and Scooter Services

Bike-sharing services were also prominent in facilitating voter mobility. Motivate, a leading bike-share operator, offered free day passes for its systems in nine major urban areas, including New York City (Citi Bike), Chicago (Divvy), Boston (Bluebikes), Washington D.C. (Capital Bikeshare), and San Francisco (Ford GoBike). The general code for a free day pass was BIKETOVOTE, though specific codes applied to certain systems, such as VOTE18 for Divvy and BIKE2VOTE for BIKETOWN in Portland. Lime, another bike and e-scooter sharing service, provided free rides of up to 30 minutes to and from polling locations in over 100 cities. Users could unlock this offer using the code LIME2VOTE2018 or LIME2VOTE18.

Car Rentals and Other Transport

For those requiring alternative transportation, ZipCar offered a $20 credit toward a future trip for members who used a ZipCar on Election Night between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Additionally, Getaround provided a $10 discount on Election Day car rentals with the promo code GETAROUND2VOTE. Beyond private services, several public transit systems offered free rides on Election Day, including Los Angeles' Metro system, Houston's Metro, Columbia, South Carolina's COMET bus service, and the Greensboro Transit Authority in North Carolina.

Food and Beverage Promotions

A wide array of restaurants and food brands offered free items or discounts to voters, typically requiring the presentation of an "I Voted" sticker or a specific verbal acknowledgment.

Quick-Service and Casual Dining

Many popular chains provided incentives for voters. California Tortilla offered a free order of chips and queso with any purchase when customers said "I voted." Corner Bakery Cafe provided a free brewed or cold-brewed coffee with any purchase for customers wearing an "I Voted" sticker. Potbelly Sandwich Shop gave away a free cookie with any entree purchase. Shake Shack offered free fries with any purchase using the code "IVOTED." Capriotti's Sandwich Shop provided $1 off any sub for customers showing a voting sticker. Other participating establishments included:

• Baked by Melissa: Offered a free cupcake in-store with an "I Voted" sticker and a 10 percent discount on online orders with code IVOTED2018.
• Blaze Pizza: Provided free delivery for orders placed through its app.
• Bobo's Oat Bars: Gave a free oat bar to voters who posted about their vote on social media using the hashtag #GetOatTheVote and tagging @eatbobos, then filling out a form on their website.
• Condado Tacos: Offered a free taco with a voting sticker.
• Coolhaus: Provided a free "election dip" (sprinkles) on any ice cream sandwich with a voting sticker.
• Fatz Southern Kitchen: Gave a free Fatz Famous Sweet Tea with an entree purchase and a voting sticker.
• Jersey Mike's Subs: Offered $2 off any regular sub with a coupon for National Sandwich Day.
• Jimboy's Tacos: Sold Ground Beef Nachos for $5.50 to celebrate National Nacho Day.
• Krispy Kreme: Provided two dozen doughnuts for $13 for loyalty members with an email coupon.
• Lemonade: Offered a free lemonade with any purchase for customers wearing a voting sticker.
• Miller's Ale House: Sold the first beer for $1 for voters.
• Rubio's Coastal Grill: Paired an Original Fish Taco with any Mexican or craft beer for $5.
• Taco John's: Gave a free order of Chips and Nacho Cheese with a coupon in the Taco John's Rewards app.
• Twin Peaks: Provided a free order of chips and queso with a voting sticker and the purchase of a beverage.
• Wolff's Biergarten (Syracuse only): Offered a liter of beer for the price of a half-liter with a voting sticker.

Specialty Beverages and Snacks

Several brands focused on beverage and snack rewards. Chameleon Cold-Brew offered a voucher for a free 10-ounce cold-brew for posting a selfie with an "I Voted" sticker on Instagram, tagging @ChameleonColdBrew and using #FuelTheVote. Birch Coffee provided a free drip coffee at 10 locations in Manhattan.

Retail and Other Offers

Beyond food and transportation, retailers and other organizations offered promotions to support voters.

Apparel and Home Goods

J. Crew offered a 20 percent discount on orders for customers presenting an "I Voted" sticker. Allswell, a mattress brand, provided a 10 percent discount on mattresses with the code VOTE.

Community and Family Support

The YMCA offered free childcare for parents while they visited the polls at some locations nationwide. This service required checking with the local YMCA for specific details and availability.

Legal Considerations and Context

It is noteworthy that the nature of Election Day promotions has been subject to legal scrutiny. Federal law prohibits offering free goods or services in direct exchange for proof of voting, as this could be construed as vote-buying. Consequently, many 2018 offers were structured as general discounts available to anyone who happened to have an "I Voted" sticker or as rewards for civic engagement rather than a direct transaction. For example, the Field Museum in Chicago adjusted its initial offer of free admission for sticker-bearing voters to free admission for all Illinois residents to comply with these regulations.

Conclusion

The 2018 Election Day saw a concerted effort from various businesses to support voter participation through a diverse array of freebies and discounts. These offers primarily focused on alleviating transportation costs and providing small rewards for civic duty. While many deals were tied to the presence of an "I Voted" sticker or specific promotional codes, others required social media engagement or app usage. Consumers were advised to verify participation with local outlets and adhere to the specific terms and conditions outlined by each brand to successfully redeem these Election Day perks.

Sources

1. ABC7 NY: Election Day deals and discounts
2. New York Upstate: Election Day 2018 deals and freebies
3. USA Today: Election Day freebies 2018