Uber and Lyft are both showing their voting advocacy by partnering with non-profit organizations aimed to create a higher voter turnout. Lyft has partnered with the non-partisan organizations: Vote Latino, Vote.org and Turbo Vote. Uber has partnered with #VoteTogether and Democracy Works. Working with these organizations inspired the idea of offering discounted rides to polling locations on election day.
A Lyft press release stated, “It is estimated that over 15 million people were registered but didn’t vote in 2016 because of transportation issues,” according to News10NCB.
Even with the desire to increase voter turnout by offering discounted rides, there are set restrictions. For Lyft, the discounted 50 percent off promo codes are only offered through Vote.org and Turbo Vote. Lyft users will not be able to get this promo deal through the app directly. Lyft also is providing free rides on election day to the polling station but only to those in “underserved communities.” Another incentive to vote from Lyft is that they will be surprising select voters on Nov. 6 with a special gift, according to Lyft’s website.
Although the rides aren’t absolutely free, Uber’s promo codes will offer $10 off a single ride to a polling station, which can be received directly through the app. However, this promo deal is based on the most affordable Uber option available in your city. This includes Express Pool, Pool or UberX, in that order, according to Uber’s website. In the small print at the bottom of the promotion also mentions that this offer is not available for rides from polling stations.