As the 2016 presidential election approached, Los Angeles residents prepared to cast their votes at polling places across the city. Beyond the civic duty of participating in the democratic process, numerous local and national businesses offered incentives to reward voters for their engagement. These promotions ranged from complimentary food and beverages to discounted transportation services, all designed to encourage voter turnout and celebrate the election day atmosphere. The availability of these offers often required specific actions, such as presenting an "I Voted" sticker, entering a promo code, or utilizing a mobile application. This guide details the various freebies and deals available to Los Angeles voters in November 2016, drawing from verified reports and official announcements.
Food and Beverage Promotions
One of the most prominent categories of election day incentives involved food and drink. Businesses across Los Angeles County offered free or discounted items to customers who could prove they had visited a polling station.
Krispy Kreme, the national doughnut chain, provided a free doughnut of the customer's choice on election day. This offer was available at participating locations simply by showing an "I Voted" sticker. The promotion was widely publicized as a way to sweeten the voting experience.
Lemonade, a popular California restaurant concept, offered a free 12-ounce lemonade to customers who presented their "I Voted" sticker at any of their locations. This provided a refreshing option for voters on a busy day.
The Pie Hole, with locations in Los Angeles and Hollywood, offered a free coffee of the customer's choice with a purchase. To redeem this, voters needed to bring their voting stub to any Pie Hole location. The establishment noted the importance of caffeine for voters, while limiting the offer to one per customer.
7-Eleven participated in election day promotions by offering a free cup of coffee to customers on November 8, 2016. This deal was accessible through the 7-Eleven mobile app, requiring customers to use the app to claim their complimentary beverage.
Amoeba Records, the iconic music retailer, offered a $3 discount on any item regularly priced at $5 or more. Customers could redeem this by showing their "I Voted" sticker or voting stub at any Amoeba store on November 8. The discount could not be combined with other offers and was not valid for online purchases.
Beyond these specific chain offers, several Los Angeles restaurants created special election night menus and events. Red O Restaurants offered a happy hour menu featuring $3 street tacos, $6 corn and goat tamales, and $10 ahi tuna tartare, with margaritas and select wines priced at $7.
The Independence in Santa Monica hosted an #ImWithBeer celebration, offering $5 draft craft beers and specialty cocktails throughout the day. The cocktail menu featured thematic drinks such as the "Bad Hombre" tequila cocktail, the "Nasty Woman" vodka drink, and the "Straight Outta Options" Long Island variation. At 9 p.m., the restaurant held an "Uncle Sam Drawing" where diners had the chance to win gift cards.
The Wallace in Culver City provided discounted fried chicken, plus specials on beers and cocktails. For election night, they offered $4 select craft beers and $8 specialty cocktails, along with a bucket of fried chicken for $8.
In West Hollywood, a cocktail-centric venue offered half-priced food and drinks to celebrate the right to vote. This included tacos and flatbreads, with cocktails priced at $7, such as the rye-spiked "Honey Badger."
Yucca St location of a Los Feliz favorite offered 50% off the entire order for customers who flashed their "I Voted" sticker. This deal encouraged voters to enjoy gyros and loaded Zeus fries topped with meat, feta, and tzatziki.
Transportation and Mobility Incentives
Getting to the polls was a major focus for many companies in 2016, with several transportation services offering free or discounted rides to facilitate voter access.
Uber offered $10 off a single ride to a polling place on election day. To redeem this, users needed to enter the promo code VOTE2018 in the Uber app. The offer was valid for the most affordable Uber option available in the city, such as Express POOL, POOL, or UberX. The most recent version of the Uber app was required to use the promotion. The offer was available in major cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Washington D.C., Miami, and Boston, and expired on the Wednesday following election day.
Lyft provided 50% off or up to $5 off rides across the country. Additionally, Lyft offered free rides to underserved communities that faced significant obstacles to transportation. To receive a discount, users could enter their zip code on Lyft's partner website, Buzzfeed.
Lime offered free rides on its shared bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters for up to 30 minutes. Users could enter the code LIME2VOTE18 to unlock the Lime fleet for rides to and from polling locations. This service was available in more than 100 cities across the nation.
Motivate, a bike share operator, offered free rentals in nine urban bike share systems across the country on election day. This included Citi Bike in New York City and Jersey City, Divvy in Chicago, Bluebikes in Boston, Capital Bikeshare in Washington D.C., Nice Ride Minnesota in Minneapolis, Ford GoBike in the San Francisco Bay Area, BIKETOWN in Portland, and CoGo in Columbus, Ohio. The code for a free day pass for most Motivate programs was BIKETOVOTE.
Zipcar offered $20 toward a future trip with any election day rental. Additionally, on November 8, select Zipcars were free from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. local time, with no hourly reservation charge during the promotion period. These cars were available while supplies lasted. Zipcar also offered free rides to voters in certain underserved communities.
Metro buses, trains, and bike shares were all free on election day in Los Angeles. This also applied to rides on Long Beach Transit, Baldwin Park Transit, Pasadena Transit, Santa Clarita Transit, and Access Services. For Metro Bike Share, users could use promo code 1162018 to unlock a free 30-minute ride.
Childcare Services
Recognizing that parents might face challenges getting to the polls, the Pasadena YMCA offered free childcare on November 8, 2016. The service was available from 8 a.m. to noon and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Other YMCAs may also have offered similar free childcare services, though voters were advised to call their local Y to confirm availability.
Eligibility and Redemption Requirements
The requirements for redeeming these election day freebies varied by business and offer type. The most common requirement was the presentation of an "I Voted" sticker or voting stub. This was the case for Krispy Kreme, Lemonade, Amoeba Records, and several restaurants offering percentage discounts on food.
For transportation services, eligibility often involved entering a specific promo code into a mobile application. Uber required the code VOTE2018, while Lime used LIME2VOTE18. Motivate utilized BIKETOVOTE for bike share rentals. Lyft required users to visit a partner website and enter their zip code to access the discount.
Some offers, such as the 7-Eleven coffee, required the use of a mobile app to redeem the deal. Others, like the free rides on Metro and other transit systems, were automatically available without a code, though a specific code was provided for Metro Bike Share.
Geographic restrictions applied to some offers. Uber's promotion was valid in major cities including Los Angeles. Lime was available in over 100 cities. Motivate's free rentals were specific to nine urban bike share systems. The transportation deals generally focused on facilitating access to polling places, though some, like Zipcar's $20 future trip credit, were broader.
Time restrictions were also in place. Most food and beverage offers were valid only on election day, November 8, 2016. Transportation offers were typically valid on election day, with some, like Uber's, expiring the following day. Zipcar's free evening rides were limited to a four-hour window.
Conclusion
The 2016 election day in Los Angeles featured a diverse array of freebies and deals designed to reward civic participation. From complimentary doughnuts and coffee to discounted transportation and childcare, businesses across the city provided incentives that addressed various barriers to voting. While the specific offers were tied to the 2016 election cycle, they illustrate a broader trend of corporate engagement in the democratic process. Consumers interested in similar opportunities during future elections should monitor announcements from major chains and local businesses in the weeks leading up to election day, as these promotions often reappear in similar forms.