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Update 11/05/2018: It’s now been confirmed the 50% off rides will be limited to a maximum of $5 off. You can enter your zipcode on BuzzFeed to find your code.
The Offer
- Lyft has announced that on election day (Tuesday, November 6th) they will be offering 50% off rides nationwide and free rides to ‘underserved communities that face significant obstacles to transportation’
The Fine Print
- None currently
Our Verdict
It’s not clear exactly how the codes will be issued, they are partnering with a number of voting organizations (Vote.org, Nonprofit Vote, TurboVote) and it talks about product integration. Personally I think anything that gets people to vote, regardless of who they vote for is a good thing. I think the controversy is going to be on the areas they decide receive free rides vs 50% off rides as there is likely to be some bias on who those communities vote for.
At the end of the day we’re here to just share deals, it’s up to each individual reader to decide what deals they want to use. Please keep the comments section civil, if you can’t behave yourselves we will lock the comments.
“We reserve the right to deduct the bonus amount if the account is closed within 12 months of opening.”
Free ride to the polls. Full price getting back. Stupid, unless you live by another polling place???
This is a great gesture. However, some deserving people will feel left out if their regions don’t get selected for the free rides.
even if im not going to a voting place on 11/6 i can get 50% off free lyft rides?
Will depend if they make it so only areas around polling booths count as pick up/drop off locations.
Awesome news! Think I’ll have to shift all my rideshare spend to Lyft.
Seems misguided. If they target certain voters then they will alienate many of their customers. Further, voter giveaways are a violation of election law.
“voter giveaways are a violation of election law.” I’m a campaign finance attorney and that’s a gross exaggeration, at best.
I think the statement is generally true, it’s widely reported that the FEC takes issue with giveaways that reward voters in federal elections. Although, my understanding is that transportation is excluded, so probably not relevant to this situation.
Not really. The free ride does not depend on you voting. In other words, there is no requirement that you vote if you accept the $5 benefit, that is, there is no quid pro quo. You can accept the benefit and then go to McDonald’s. That said, depending on a states’ laws, Lyft may have to include the benefit in various regulatory filings (eg, campaign finance filings may require that a company disclose money for get-out-the-vote campaigns for people unrelated to the company).