Tech

Uber and Lyft will give discounted rides to polling stations on election day

Rides to a dropbox or polling location will be discounted — including bikes and scooters.

d3sign/Moment/Getty Images

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, you really shouldn't be voting in-person. But if you absolutely must, Lyft and Uber will be offering discounted rides for the upcoming 2020 elections. On election day, you can get 50 percent off Lyft rides (up to $10) to a dropbox or polling station using the discount code 2020VOTE. Bikes and scooters are eligible for the offer too.

Uber hasn't specified yet what its discount will be. The company offered $20 off rides in 2016 but only for new users.

Will Trump attack them? — Of course, what would be even nicer than discounted rides to encourage voting would be making the rides free altogether. But Uber and Lyft remain unprofitable (and are at threat of shutting down in California) so a discount is better than nothing. And Lyft is working with several nonprofits to offer free rides in communities that need it most.

Uber is not only offering discounted rides, it's also partnering with TurboVote to allow riders to request a vote-by-mail ballot directly through its app.

Hispanolistic/E+/Getty Images

Let's just hope that these moves to support democracy don't cause Trump to threaten sanctions or something. We already know he's been attacking the USPS because mail-in voting increases turnout. Despite what he says, voting by mail is absolutely safe, and you should do it if you can.