Uber will offer free rides to polling stations on Election Day

Uber said Thursday that it will offer free rides to polling stations on Election Day, as well as an in-app feature that lets riders know where to cast their votes.

The ride-sharing company unveiled its “Get to the Polls” feature as part of a series of initiatives to encourage riders to vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 6. Riders can enter their home address into the app, which will then identify their designated polling place.

In addition, Uber is partnering with Democracy Works and #VoteTogether to provide free rides to voters, who must first obtain promo codes from one of the voting advocacy groups.

{mosads}The Uber app also will provide information throughout the next few weeks on how users can register to vote. Uber started including the information earlier this week in partnership with the When We All Vote initiative.

Uber’s announcement comes after its competitor, Lyft, said in August that it would partner with several voter-turnout organizations to offer discounted and free rides to the polls on Election Day, including free rides to “underserved communities that face significant obstacles to transportation.”

Uber and Lyft have offered similar services in previous years.

The additional efforts to get voters to the polls come during what has been a heated midterm campaign. Republicans are seeking to retain control of the House, despite trailing Democrats on numerous generic congressional ballot polls. Democrats need to gain 23 seats to retake the majority in the House.

Republicans are also looking to maintain or even build on their majority in the Senate, where they hold a 51-49 advantage over Democrats.