As the Nov. 6 U.S. election approaches, select food franchises are allowing consumers to "vote" for their favorite candidate.
The convenience store 7-Eleven proclaims "politics are brewing" in its quadrennial Presidential Coffee Cup Poll. Store customers can indicate their presidential preference when they buy a cup of coffee — a blue cup imprinted with a donkey for President Barack Obama or an elephant-emblazoned red cup for Mitt Romney.
Obama was ahead 60 percent to Romney's 40 percent nationally on Tuesday morning, according to 7-Eleven's election website, which also offers state-by-state tallies. Romney's ahead in Idaho and West Virginia.
Meanwhile, a 7-Eleven bus with a mobile replica of the Oval Office has been traveling around the country. Check out 7-Eleven's map for upcoming stops.
Ben & Jerry's
Other companies are embracing the election theme. Ben & Jerry's, which sells its iconic ice cream through grocery stores and franchise scoop shops, continued its history of political activism this month by announcing a new special-edition pint package — Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream, Entrepreneur reports. Ben & Jerry's parent is Unilever. Pizza Hut is alsotailoring its marketing to the election.