Election Day 2018 saw a variety of businesses across the United States offer free products, discounts, and special promotions to individuals who participated in the voting process. These incentives ranged from complimentary food items and beverages to transportation discounts, designed to encourage civic engagement. The offers were generally available on November 6, 2018, and often required customers to present an "I Voted" sticker or utilize a specific promo code. This guide details the specific freebies and discounts available during that election cycle, based on contemporary reports.
Food and Beverage Offers
Numerous restaurant chains and food retailers provided complimentary items or price reductions on Election Day. These promotions typically required proof of voting, such as an "I Voted" sticker, or the use of a digital code.
Major Chains and Restaurants
- Shake Shack: Shake Shack offered free french fries with any purchase on Election Day. Customers could redeem this offer by showing an "I Voted" sticker in-store or by entering the code "ivoted" within the Shake Shack mobile app.
- Potbelly Sandwich Shop: Potbelly provided a free cookie to customers on Election Day. This offer was available simply by asking for a cookie; no proof of voting was required to receive the free item.
- Jersey Mike's: Jersey Mike's offered a $2 discount on any regular sub. This promotion was valid through November 7, 2018, and required customers to join the chain's email club to access the discount.
- 7-Eleven: 7-Eleven provided a free cup of coffee to customers on Election Day. This offer was exclusively available through the 7-Eleven mobile app.
- Baskin-Robbins: Baskin-Robbins ran a "buy one, get one for 99 cents" promotion on ice cream cones. Notably, this offer did not require an "I Voted" sticker to redeem.
- Applebee's: Applebee's featured its monthly Neighborhood Drink of the Month, offering $2 Bud Lights throughout November 2018, which extended through Election Day.
- Sonic Drive-In: Sonic offered half-price drinks and 99-cent corn dogs daily from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., a deal that was active on Election Day.
- Taco John's: Taco John's offered a free order of chips and nacho cheese to users who accessed the offer through the Taco John's rewards app.
- Lemonade: The fast-casual chain Lemonade offered a free cup of its namesake beverage with any purchase, provided the customer was wearing an "I Voted" sticker.
- Baked By Melissa: Customers visiting Baked By Melissa locations with an "I Voted" sticker received a free cupcake. An online promotion was also available, offering 10% off orders with the code "IVOTED2018" through November 7, 2018.
- Jeni's Ice Creams: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams offered an extra scoop of ice cream for free to customers who visited a scoop shop and indicated they had voted.
- Joe Coffee Company: This New York City-based coffee chain provided free 12oz cups of drip coffee to customers who showed an "I Voted" sticker.
- Jimboy's Tacos: In celebration of National Nachos Day, which coincided with Election Day, Jimboy's Tacos offered $5.50 ground beef nachos at locations in California and Nevada.
- Coolhaus: Coolhaus offered a "free election dip" (free sprinkles) on any ice cream sandwich purchase made with a voting sticker.
- Blaze Pizza: Blaze Pizza offered free delivery on orders placed through DoorDash on Election Day, allowing customers to order pizza for watching election returns.
Pizza to the Polls
A notable non-profit initiative, Pizza to the Polls, raised funds to send free pizza deliveries to voters waiting in long lines at polling stations. Individuals could request pizza delivery for themselves and fellow voters through the organization's website. This service was active on Election Day.
Transportation and Ride-Share Discounts
To address potential transportation barriers to voting, several transportation services offered discounts and free rides on Election Day.
- Lyft: Lyft offered a 50 percent discount or up to $5 off rides nationwide. The code "VOTEMD2018" was required to redeem this offer.
- Uber: Uber provided $10 off a single ride to the polls on Election Day. Customers needed to enter the code "VOTE2018" to apply the discount.
- Divvy: Divvy, a bike-share program, offered free rides through an "Explorer Pass." This pass provided unlimited three-hour trips within a 24-hour period. The code "VOTE18" was used in the Divvy app or at a bike station kiosk to access the free pass.
- Lime: Lime offered free rides to and from voting locations by entering the code "LIME2VOTE18" to unlock access to its fleet of bikes and e-scooters.
- Zipcar: Zipcar offered a $20 discount on a future trip for users who took a Zipcar ride between 6:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Other Discounts and Promotions
- Carl's Jr.: Carl's Jr. encouraged customers to sign up for their rewards program, though specific details of an Election Day offer were not fully detailed in the source material beyond the prompt to sign up.
- Drizly: The alcohol delivery service Drizly offered region-specific discounts for Election Day. New customers received $5 off an order with the code "Election5" in certain states, and $10 off with the code "Election 10" in other states and Washington, D.C.
Conclusion
Election Day 2018 was characterized by a widespread trend of businesses offering complimentary goods and discounts to reward and encourage voter participation. These offers spanned a diverse range of industries, including food service, transportation, and retail. The mechanics of redemption typically involved the presentation of an "I Voted" sticker or the use of specific digital promo codes. While many offers were strictly limited to November 6, 2018, some promotions, such as those from Jersey Mike's and Baked By Melissa, extended into the following day. The availability of these incentives reflected a broader cultural movement to make the act of voting a more celebrated and accessible event.