Since the mid-1800s, Election Day has always fallen on a Tuesday, admittedly making it difficult for many working Americans to vote. With notably poor voter turnout over the last few decades, you’d think the government would do everything it can to get people to show up. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case, as calls to make Election Day a national holiday have largely fallen on deaf ears. Fortunately, a few tech companies around the country have opted to give employees the day off in hopes of turning those voting numbers upside down. While many voters will abstain regardless of employment status, the goal is to make sure that your job isn’t getting in the way of the democratic process, which is a notable problem in the US. The fact is that there are almost zero laws in place that require employers to let employees vote. This push by corporations could be the spark we need to change that. Here are some of the tech companies that plan to give employees time off to vote:
Twitter – all employees get the whole day offLyft – Part and full time employees may request time off (plus free and discounted rides on the app)Facebook – all employees get paid time off to voteGoogle – all employees get paid time off to voteUber – All employees get the whole day off (plus discounted rides)Apple – Retail and hourly works get four paid hours offWalmart – Hourly workers get three paid hours off if you can’t vote due to schedulingBest Buy – Paid time off to vote (plus shortened store hours)
In addition to these tech companies, a wide range of other notable businesses have pledged to give employees time off to vote, including Patagonia, Nike, Gap, J. Crew, Visa, and JPMorgan Chase, among others. Encouraging businesses to give employees time off to vote isn’t all Time to Vote is about either. The movement also encourages businesses to take an active role in providing information to employees about early voting and mail-in ballots and, if time off is not possible, at least making it a “meeting free day” to allow a bit more flexibility for those that want to vote. The reality is that 1,900 might sound like a lot, but there are millions of businesses in the US that still require employees to work on Election Day, offering little to no option otherwise. And tragically, a little nudge from large corporations is likely not going to change that. Given its nation is one of the worst developed countries in the world when it comes to voter turnout, the government needs to take action. While we love to yield our country’s vital responsibility to corporations, it’s time to make a change and give Americans the power to vote without infringing on their right to work.
