Election Day Freebies: How to Grab a Free Ride to the Polls

As the kids (and some adults!) are recovering from Halloween antics, the rest of the country is gearing up for the midterm elections, happening November 6th. People often overlook midterm elections during the off-years and instead focus more on the Presidential elections which occur every four years. But, voting for your local officials is where most of the governing happens, making it incredibly important for everyone to vote in the midterms.

That said, this year voting day is a Tuesday and if you're at work or at school, finding time to get away to cast your vote can be difficult. And, depending on where you live, your polling place might not exactly be a walkable distance away. (Sidenote: If you're not sure where your polling place is, you can find out here). This election day, Uber and Lyft are offering free and discounted rides to the polls if you're on your way to vote!

Uber is offering $10 off every ride to a polling place with a code that will appear in users' apps on the morning of election day. There will also be a "find my polling place" option to help route their riders to the correct destination. When it's so easy to get there, transportation shouldn't be what's stopping you from voting.

Lyft is also offering discounted rides - 50% off on your way to vote - and free rides for underrepresented communities. Lyft knows that transportation is only part of the battle, so they're also partnering with organizations like When We All Vote and National Voter Registration Day to offer services on the day of the election too. They will also be offering their employees information about registration, as well as in-office registration the day of, and they're encouraging their employees to take time off during the day to cast their vote.

Uber and Lyft are probably the easiest ways to get to your polling place on November 6th, but they're not the only ones offering their transportation services. The Los Angeles Metro will also be offering free rides on all of its services all day. In addition, Motivate, which operates Citi Bike in New York and Jersey City, Divvy in Chicago, Bluebikes in Boston, Capital Bikeshare in D.C., and so many more will be offering a coupon code to get their riders to the polls for free.

These are just a few ways to get around on election day; a quick Google search can tell you what's happening in your specific city to help you get to the polls without breaking the bank, or taking up the whole day. No matter how you get there, make sure you find your way to the polls to cast your vote.