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Uber offers discounted rides to polling stations, in-app mail ballot requests to boost voter turnout

"Every eligible American citizen should have access to vote, and we know that we are uniquely positioned to help move people to the polls."

HOUSTON — Each presidential election year there’s a big push to drive eligible voters to the polls— and now, Uber is joining that initiative. In fact, in some ways, literally!

The rideshare app recently announced its "Get Out and Vote" campaign to help boost voter turnout, including offering discounted rides to and from polling stations.

“At Uber, we believe every eligible American citizen should have access to vote, and we know that we are uniquely positioned to help move people to the polls,” the company said in a release.

Uber said it is focused on getting its customers registered and ready to vote ahead of Election and National Voter Registration Day on Sept. 22.

Uber and Uber Eats users can now register to vote inside the app through the company’s partnership with TurboVote, which is a mobile tool designed to help American vote in local, state and national elections. They can also request vote-by-mail ballots on Uber platform.

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Pew Research Study stated that two-thirds of Americans are uncomfortable with voting in-person because of coronavirus concerns.

Uber is also a founding member of Power the Polls, an initiative to encourage people to volunteer at polling station. The program supports several organizations including the Civic Alliance, National Voter Registration Day, Vote Early Day and Time to Vote.

“In addition to providing resources on the Uber and Uber Eats platforms to help individuals register to vote and get to the polls, we are proud to announce that we are also giving employees the day off, feeding people in line to vote, and looking into other ways to unite the communities we serve on Election Day,” Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said.

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