Lyft, Uber offers discounted or free rides to get to polls on Election Day

As the Nov. 6 midterm election fast approaches, Lyft and Uber are trying to make getting to the polls a whole lot easier. In addition to casting ballots in local, state and congressional races, Pennsylvania voters also will elect a governor.

The Uber and Lyft ride-hailing services will be offering discounted or free transportation to polling places to encourage people to vote.

Uber is providing a “get to the polls” feature for users to find their polling places. In addition, the company is partnering with #VoteTogether and Democracy Works to provide free rides.

“On Nov. 6, I hope everyone does one thing: vote!” said Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a blog post.

Lyft, on the other hand, will discount rides by 50 percent. The company is working with nonprofits including  Vote.org, Nonprofit Vote, and TurboVote to coordinate the effort. Lyft also will provide a feature to help people find their designated polling place.

Lyft will provide free rides to “underserved communities” that have more obstacles for transportation. That refers to the 46 percent of nonvoters with a family income of less than $30,000 and racial minorities, who make up 43 percent of those not likely to cast ballots, according to The Pew Research Center.

The third most common reason for not voting, especially among young people, is a lack of transportation. Over a third of potential voters surveyed indicated that it was an obstacle, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement.

To get the new feature, both ride services encourage users to download the most recent version of their app.