Election Day Freebies for Those that Vote

Election Day freebies abound for voters: Starbucks, Krispy Kreme, Ben & Jerry's and much, much more

Geoff Williams


In the old days, politicians would try to buy votes. Nowadays, corporations are trying to buy your affection if you vote.

Works for me.

You've probably seen on WalletPop or elsewhere in the media that some big national chains are giving away free stuff to anyone who votes (or says they voted).

So far, these are the major players in the game:

Starbucks: Giving away a free tall coffee to people with proof of voting (or a pledge of having voted)

Krispy Kreme: Giving away free star-shaped donuts with red, white and blue sprinkles (while supplies last) to people with an "I voted" sticker all day

Ben & Jerry's: Giving away a free scoop in any flavor from 5pm to 8pm to anyone who says they voted.

But there's much, much more... (and we're hoping you'll feel free to tell us what's free in your neighborhood for voters).


This is in no way a list of all of them, but here are some:

* Todd Conner's, a bar in Baltimore, will give voters a free beer. (I'm guessing 18-20 year-old voters are disqualifed.)

* Selected Chick-fil-A locations will be offering free chicken sandwiches on Election Day to anyone with an "I Voted" sticker, and also giving away items on Nov. 5 for those who bring in lawn signs, but check first, to see if your local store is in on the deal.

* Rock the Vote is offering free song downloads to anyone who pledges to vote

* To its first 300 customers at each location, Shane's Rib Shack will give away a free "Vote America meal," which are chicken tenders and a beverage.

* Anaheim White House, a restaurant in California, are giving voters a free bottle of champagne. The catch seems to be that you have to order the $44 meal that comes with it.

* At Zov's, a three-restaurant chain, also in California, they're giving away a free slice of apple pie to anyone who votes.

* The Atlanta Zoo are cutting admission prices to half price on November 4 for voters and their families.

* In Chicago, at the restuarant Park 52, guests showing a receipt for voting will receive a free red, white and blue dessert--as in, red velvet cake with white cream cheese frosting and fresh blueberries.

* In Troy, Michigian, the Hot Spot Coffee Company will be giving out free 12-ounce cups of coffee to customers on November 4.

* And Babeland, an adult sex toy store in New York, Los Angeles and Seattle, is giving away, um, some free toys to anyone who says that they're voting.

* A Dallas tattoo-removal specialist is offering a free consultation to getting a tattoo removed.

* Even more deals are listed at slickdeals.net

Really, your best plan of attack tomorrow seems to be to go into any store or restaurant and say, "I voted today. Giving anything away for free?"

Geoff Williams is a freelance writer and the author of C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America (Rodale).