Uber announced on Wednesday that it would offer $10 discounts on rides to the polls on Election Day. The promotion, which will be available nationwide in the US, applies only to a single ride on the most affordable Uber option available in their city.
Riders will have to use Uber’s dedicated poll locator button in the app in order to get the discount. The button, which will be live on Election Day, will help people find and book rides to their polling location. Using that feature, riders will be asked to use a promo code in order to receive the $10 discount. Riders who want to get the discount will need to use the cheapest option — Express Pool, Uber Pool, and Uber X, in that order.
There are some conditions, of course
There are some conditions, of course. Riders can’t get discounts on rides back from their polling place, only to it. And residents of Utah and Michigan aren’t eligible because of restrictions on discounted transportation on Election Day. Nor are residents of Puerto Rico and US territories who don’t vote in federal elections. Uber says the discount isn’t conditional on voting for any particular candidate or party, or even voting at all. But obviously, if you’re getting a cheap (or free) ride to your polling place, you might as well pull the lever while you’re there.
The ride-hail company will also partner with two GOTV organizations, #VoteTogether and Democracy Works, to provide free rides in certain communities. #VoteTogether is doing free rides up to $7 on the cheapest option to and from the polls. Democracy Works is going to repurpose the promo that Uber is extending to everyone. Uber will also help register riders and drivers to vote by sharing voter registration information through the app. An email went out to all Uber drivers this week encouraging them to visit one of Uber’s 125 Greenlight Hubs where they can register to vote.
Surveys indicate that voter enthusiasm is at an all-time high this year, but if history is any indicator, most eligible voters will stay home. Slightly more than one-third of eligible voters turned out across the country in the last midterm elections, the lowest share since 1942, according to a New York Times report. Estimates from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement indicate that roughly 15 million people didn’t vote in the 2016 election because they didn’t have transportation to get to the polls.