Uber, Lyft and more are offering discounted rides to the polls for election day - here's how to cash in

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Uber, Lyft and more are offering discounted rides to the polls for election day - here's how to cash in

voting vote election day

Jessica McGowan/Getty Images

Voters cast ballots during the early voting period in Atlanta, Georgia on October 18, 2018.

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  • Uber and Lyft are both offering election day discounts on rides to the polls.
  • Motivate, which runs major bike share programs in nine cities, is offering free rides

Tuesday is election day. To make it easier to get out and perform your civic duty, Uber, Lyft and other companies are offering discount codes to get to the polls and vote.

Here's how to take advantage of their offers:

Uber

As long as your app is updated to the most recent version, a $10 off code for a single ride in the "most affordable option in your city will be made available to users in their app on Election Day," the company said in its announcement. But be aware, the deal is not available in Utah, Michigan, or any US territories.

Lyft

In similar fashion, Lyft is offering 50% off rides as well as an integration to help riders find their polling place. What's more, the company says it will provide rides free of charge for underserved communities through partnerships with nonprofit organizations.

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The company points to research that shows low-income and minority voters tend to have lower turnout rates than the general population, and says the Election Day effort is a bid to help change that disparity. In 2014, a study by Pew Research found that 46% of nonvoters have family incomes of $30,000. For likely voters, on the other hand, that percentage fell to 19%.

Bike sharing

Motivate - the bike share operator owned by Lyft - is also offering free rides in nine of its systems on Election Day.

By using the code BIKETOVOTE, you can ride for free to the polls on in New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, San Francisco Bay Area, Portland, and Columbus, Ohio. In Chicago, use the code VOTE18 on the Divvy system.

"We want to make it easier than ever to pedal to the polls this Election Day," Motivate spokesperson Julie Wood said in a press release. "Too many Americans don't vote because they lack reliable and affordable transportation options. As voters make their plans for November 6, we encourage the millions living in cities served by our bike share networks to take advantage of free rides and use bike share to get to and from the polls."

More election day coverage:

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