Election Day 2018 Freebies and Voter Incentives: A Comprehensive Guide to Offers and Deals

The 2018 U.S. midterm elections, held on November 6, 2018, presented a unique landscape of promotional offers from businesses seeking to engage with voters. While direct incentives for voting can occupy a legal gray area, many brands structured their promotions to provide discounts, free items, or special deals to anyone who requested them, often using the "I Voted" sticker as a simple verification method. This article, based exclusively on information from verified news reports and deal aggregators covering the event, details the types of freebies, discounts, and services available to consumers on and around Election Day 2018. The focus is on food and beverage, transportation, and retail offers, which were the most prominent categories documented in the source material.

Food and Beverage Offers

A significant number of restaurants and food brands offered free items or discounts to individuals who presented an "I Voted" sticker or simply asked for the promotion. These offers ranged from free cupcakes and coffee to discounted tacos and sandwiches.

National Chain Restaurant Deals

Several well-known restaurant chains provided nationwide or wide-scale promotions on November 6, 2018. Many required the customer to show an "I Voted" sticker or mention the election to redeem the offer.

Baked by Melissa: This cupcake chain offered a free cupcake at its physical store locations on Election Day to customers who showed an "I Voted" sticker. The brand also provided a 10% discount on online orders placed on November 6 and 7, 2018, using the promo code "IVOTED2018".
Blaze Pizza: The pizza chain provided free delivery for any order placed through its mobile app on Election Day.
California Tortilla: Customers could receive a free order of chips and queso with any purchase by saying "I voted" on November 6, 2018. This offer was valid for in-store redemption only.
Capriotti's Sandwich Shop: This sub shop offered a $1 discount on any sub sandwich to customers who showed an "I Voted" sticker on Election Day.
Corner Bakery Cafe: Participating locations offered a free brewed or cold-brewed coffee of any size with a purchase, requiring the customer to show an "I Voted" sticker.
Fatz Southern Kitchen: This restaurant chain provided a free serving of its Fatz Famous Sweet Tea with an entree purchase, for customers who presented an "I Voted" sticker on Election Day.
Jimboy's Tacos: Coinciding with National Nacho Day, Jimboy's offered nachos for $5.50 on Election Day.
Miller's Ale House: At participating locations in Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Tennessee, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, customers could get their first beer for $1 by stating they voted. The offer was valid for a pint of a domestic draft beer or a non-alcoholic beverage, one per guest, and ended at 9 p.m. in Virginia.
Potbelly Sandwich Shop: Customers could get a free cookie with any purchase on Election Day and the following day, November 7, 2018, by simply asking for it. The promotion did not require an "I Voted" sticker.
Rubio's Coastal Grill: This coastal grill offered a special $5 deal on Election Day, which included an Original Fish Taco paired with any Mexican or craft beer. Alternatively, customers could get a $2 Fish Taco Especial or a $1.75 Original Fish Taco. All guests received an "I Taco'd" sticker.
Twin Peaks Restaurants: Customers could get a free order of chips and queso with the purchase of any beverage by showing an "I Voted" sticker.

Coffee and Specialty Beverage Shops

Coffee chains and specialty beverage companies also participated with free drink offers and discounts.

Birch Coffee: This Manhattan-based coffee shop offered a free drip coffee at 10 of its locations in Manhattan on Election Day.
Biggby Coffee: While not entirely free, Biggby Coffee offered a tall drink for $0.99 to customers who showed an "I Voted" sticker.
Chameleon Cold-Brew: Customers could get a voucher for a free 10-ounce Chameleon Cold-Brew by posting a selfie with their "I Voted" sticker on Instagram.
7-Eleven: Through its mobile app, 7-Eleven offered a free cup of coffee to voters on Election Day.
Coolhaus: This ice cream sandwich shop offered a free "election dip" (sprinkles) on any ice cream sandwich with an "I Voted" sticker.

Local and Regional Restaurant Offers

In addition to national chains, many local restaurants in specific metropolitan areas offered unique incentives for voters.

Boston Area:
- Island Creek Oyster Bar: Offered a free crispy oyster slider with an "I Voted" sticker.
- Row 34: Provided two free oysters with an "I Voted" sticker.
- Oak Long Bar: Offered 10% off the food bill with an "I Voted" sticker.
- Best Burger Bar: Offered free fries with the purchase of a burger or sandwich.
Los Angeles Area:
- 1933 Group Bars: A group of bars in Los Angeles offered $1 Moscow Mules or Old Fashioneds from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Columbus, OH, and Pittsburg, PA:
- Condado Tacos: Customers could get a free taco by showing an "I Voted" sticker at participating locations.

Transportation and Service Offers

Several transportation services, including ride-sharing and bike-share companies, offered discounts or free rides to polling places on Election Day 2018.

Ride-Sharing and Car Services

Getaround: This car-sharing service offered a $10 discount on Election Day car rentals using the promo code "GETAROUND2VOTE".
Lyft: Lyft provided 50% off, $5 off, or even free rides to polling places, depending on the user's location. Customers were directed to enter their zip code on a BuzzFeed page to determine their specific offer.

Bike-Share and Public Transit

Lime: Lime bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters could be rented for free on Election Day using the code "LIME2VOTE18".
Motivate: This bike-share operator offered a free ride on Election Day. The code "BIKETOVOTE" was valid for most Motivate programs. For Divvy (Chicago), the code was "VOTE18". In Portland, where a vote-by-mail system is used, BIKETOWN riders could use the code "BIKE2VOTE" to get 30 minutes of free ride time on Tuesday.
Public Transit Systems: Several transit systems across the nation offered free fares on Election Day, including:
- Los Angeles' Metro system
- Columbia, South Carolina's COMET bus service
- Houston's Metro
- Greensboro Transit Authority in North Carolina (system-wide free fares)

Retail and Product Offers

While fewer retail and product-specific offers were documented compared to food and transportation, some brands provided incentives for voters.

Retail Promotions

Bobo's: This oat bar brand offered a coupon for a free vegan, gluten-free oat bar. To receive the coupon, customers were asked to share that they voted on social media by tagging @eatbobos on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and using the hashtag #GetOatTheVote. The coupon would be mailed to the customer, and the offer was valid while supplies lasted.
ModCloth: The clothing brand shut down its website and FitShop stores in Austin, Texas, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., on Election Day to encourage voting. On the following day, customers could show store associates their "I Voted" sticker or a social media post to receive a special limited-edition "I Voted" pin and a ModCloth tote bag.

Event and Admission Offers

Some venues offered free or discounted admission to voters.

The Creativity Museum (San Francisco): Offered free admission to voters through Friday following Election Day.
The Field Museum (Chicago): After a free admission offer for voters was challenged by the Illinois State Board of Elections, the museum opened its gates to everyone, offering free admission for all Illinois residents on Election Day.

Alcohol and Delivery Service Offers

Companies in the alcohol and food delivery space also provided election-night promotions.

Drizly (Booze Delivery): New customers received $5 off an order with the code "Election5" in Indiana, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington. Customers could also take $10 off with the code "Election 10" in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C.
DoorDash: Customers could order Blaze Pizza online through DoorDash on Election Day and receive free delivery.
TreatHouse (NYC): The New York location at 452 Amsterdam Ave. offered a free Rice Krispie treat with the purchase of one.

Important Considerations for Consumers

When seeking out these types of promotional offers, consumers should be aware of several key factors. First, many offers were valid only on Election Day itself, November 6, 2018, though some extended to the following day. Second, terms and conditions, such as the requirement for a purchase or specific participation locations, varied significantly. It was always recommended to check with the closest participating location before visiting, as offers could be subject to local availability and store policies. Furthermore, while many promotions were structured as "ask for it" deals to avoid legal concerns, some explicitly required the presentation of an "I Voted" sticker. These stickers were generally available at polling places. Finally, some offers, like the free oat bar from Bobo's, were available only while supplies lasted, indicating limited quantities.

Conclusion

The 2018 midterm elections spurred a wide array of consumer promotions, primarily centered around food and beverage discounts, free rides to polling places, and select retail incentives. Businesses leveraged the civic event to drive foot traffic and engagement, offering everything from free cupcakes and coffee to discounted tacos and bike rides. The common thread among most offers was the simple requirement to show an "I Voted" sticker or to request the promotion directly. For consumers interested in future election-related deals, the 2018 model provides a clear example of how brands typically structure such offers: as limited-time, location-specific promotions that celebrate civic participation while adhering to legal guidelines. The documented offers from that year highlight a trend where local and regional restaurants often provided more direct freebies, while national chains frequently required a purchase or were limited to specific menu items.