How to Get to the Polls on Election Day for Free, or Close to It

In spite of the push to make Election Day a federal holiday, it still falls on an ordinary Tuesday—meaning you have to juggle getting to your nearest polling place with taking your kids to school, commuting to work, running errands, you name it. The midterms are a historically unpopular kind of election, with about 40 percent of the voting-age population actually showing up to cast their ballot, according to FairVote. This year, at least getting there is a little easier—Lyft and Uber are launching Election Day special offers, so you can get to your nearest polling place for free or at a heavily discounted price.

The two giants of ride-share transportation have partnered up with nonprofits dedicated to getting out the vote–Lyft with Vote.org, TurboVote, and Nonprofit Vote; Uber with #VoteTogether and Democracy Works—to ferry you straight to your polling place, rain or shine. Each mega-corporation has a slightly different offer, but their goal is the same: If you're held back from voting because you can't get to your nearest polling place, for any reason, they're here to help.

What Uber Is Doing

Don't know where your polling place is, or exactly how to get there? Yeah, me neither. Fortunately, Uber has built an in-app feature as part of its Get To The Polls initiative that will show you exactly where your nearest polling place is. If you're one of the millions of Americans given a promo code from #VoteTogether or Democracy Works, you'll be able to book a ride to get there for free. (You'll need the latest version of Uber to do this, so be sure to update your app before Election Day).

Just open the app on Tuesday and hit "Get To The Polls," which will pop right up on Tuesday, November 6. The whole thing is so user-friendly, even I can't mess it up.

What Lyft Is Doing

Forever determined to not be outdone, Lyft launched its own The Ride to Vote initiative a couple weeks before Uber's announcement. Lyft has a slightly different strategy—it's officially either 50 percent off rides or completely free rides depending on where you are and how easy it is for you to get to your nearest polling place. It's working with its nonprofit partners to make sure that you'll be given a free ride if transportation is an issue for you, for any reason, and otherwise you can get 50 percent off your trip.

I know, I know, the midterms are the least fun of all elections. But voting this year will dictate whether Trump is allowed to continue to debase and displace immigrants, how close we'll get to the no-going-back stage of global warming, and the future of abortion rights in this country. Plus, you can look really good doing it:

The Best Political Swag to Buy for 2020

The midterm elections will take place Tuesday, November 6.

From explainers to essays, cheat sheets to candidate analysis, we're breaking down exactly what you need to know about this year's midterms. Visit Marie Claire's Midterms Guide for more.