With Election Day coming up on Tuesday, Nov. 5, it’s important to make a plan to vote in order to ensure your voice gets heard. This Election Day plan doesn’t just include deciding who you will be voting for, but part of this plan also entails figuring out your arrangements in terms of how you’re actually getting to the polls. (In short, you don’t want to wake up on Nov. 5 and realize you have no means of transportation to your polling location!) Depending on your circumstances, where you are living, and the distance to your designated voting location, commuting to the polls may not be as simple as walking to a building on your campus.Â
If you don’t own a car or have access to reliable public transportation, you can always opt for a rideshare service. Of course, rideshares aren’t always the most budget-friendly options, but they are great in a pinch! Even better, several popular rideshare companies are actually offering discounts and deals for people who need a ride to the polls.Â
Below, check out the rideshare offers and discounts for Election Day 2024 that are making it easier and more accessible for people to cast their votes and participate in their civic duty.Â
LyftÂ
Lyft announced its 2024 voting access program all the way back in April, sharing in a news release that the company had already helped more than 3 million people exercise their right to vote — and pledging to grow its ride program volume by 25% to get even more people out to the polls.Â
Lyft’s 2024 voting access program not only includes discounted rides to the polls on Election Day across the country, but also promises to donate free or heavily discounted ride codes to nonprofit partners whose communities traditionally face barriers getting to the polls, make it easy for Lyft employees to volunteer as poll workers via Power the Polls, and help riders, drivers, and team members register, prepare to vote, and understand voter ID requirements with partners like When We All Vote, League of Women Voters, and VoteRiders.
In addition to these perks, Lyft also has a focus on helping students in particular, with an initiative to close the voter gap for community college students. According to Lyft’s press release, “Community college students accounted for roughly one-third of U.S. postsecondary students in 2020 but saw a national voting rate nearly 10 percentage points lower than four-year universities in the last presidential election.” Because of this, Lyft is partnering with Levi Strauss & Co. and Showtime/MTV to form a coalition aimed at closing the voting gap for community college students.Â
“Every American citizen should be able to exercise their right to vote without worrying about the cost or difficulty of getting to the polls,” said David Risher, Lyft CEO in the news release. “Everyone — from a driver who’s given a thousand rides to a rider who hasn’t taken her first one yet — deserves to have their voice heard at the polls. Our Voting Access Program is a great way Lyft can be a force for good.”Â
UberÂ
As of publication, Uber hasn’t yet announced any programs for the 2024 election, but has had deals in the past to help riders find their local polling place and obtain transportation to the polls. In 2018, the company partnered with #Votetogether and Democracy Works to help register voters before state deadlines and provide rides to the polls on Nov. 6. Uber also partnered with When We All Vote to provide customers with tools to help riders and drivers register to vote. In 2022, Uber also gave free rides to poll workers. It’s expected Uber will announce plans for the 2024 election soon, so check back here for updates in the coming weeks!
Lime
Scooter rental company Lime is also working to help with voter turnout and making transportation more accessible. As reported by Forbes in May, Lime has a “register to vote” campaign aimed at its customers via in-app messaging and is working with a wide array of nonprofit partners to whom it will provide messaging, free rides, and other support. Lime will also reportedly be providing free rides (up to 30 minutes) to and from the polls from Vote Early Day (Oct. 29) through Election Day. Â
BirdÂ
Bird scooter company hasn’t announced any deals yet, but the company has had initiatives in the past that have worked to help commuters get to the polls. In August for the midterm election, Bird had what was called the “Ride to the Polls,” in partnership with Rock The Vote, which offered two free rides (up to 30 minutes each) to and from local polling stations using a promo code. So, it’s expected Bird will have something for Election Day 2024, too — stay tuned for more info!Â