Connect with us

Wire

Time to Vote Movement Gains Unprecedented Momentum Ahead of 2020 U.S. Election

Avatar

Published

on

 

More than 700 Companies Commit to Giving Employees Time to Vote

United States of America, August 27, 2020 – More than 700 companies have now joined Time
to Vote, a business-led, nonpartisan coalition that aims to increase voter participation in the U.S.
elections. Voter turnout in the U.S. is one of the lowest in the developed world and one of the
most common reasons people give for not voting is that they are too busy with the demands of
life and work. The coalition, which represents more than six million workers in the U.S.*, is
addressing this challenge by giving employees the time and the tools they need to exercise their
right to vote in the November general election.

The 2020 elections are anticipated to face many unique challenges. With the ongoing COVID-19
pandemic, the stakes for removing barriers to voting are higher than ever. Recent primaries have
suffered from a lack of poll workers and malfunctioning voting machines, resulting in even longer
wait times. Additionally, with the elections approaching in the midst of a global movement for racial
equality, it has brought to the forefront how communities of color are disproportionately affected
by systemic voter suppression and the role CEOs can play in helping to protect our democracy
for all people.

“The need has never been greater for businesses to provide their employees dedicated time off
to vote,” said Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal, one of the three companies that
founded Time to Vote in 2018. “No American should have to choose between earning a paycheck
and voting. Business leaders around the country must step up and do what’s needed to ensure
all of their employees will have the opportunity to have their voices heard this November.”
So far this year, more than 700 companies – including workers in all 50 states and spanning a
variety of industries – have joined Time to Vote. Over 200 companies have joined in the last two
months alone, demonstrating the increased momentum of the movement as the election draws
near. Major companies that have recently joined include:
• Bank of America
• Ben and Jerry’s
• Cox Enterprises
• Dell Technologies
• Discovery Inc.
• Expedia Group
• GitHub
• Kaplan
• LEGO Systems, Inc.
• Macy’s
• Nike
• SAP

• Steve Madden
• Stitch Fix
• Square
• Sweaty Betty
• Synchrony
• Toyota Research Institute
• Tripadvisor
• Tyson Foods
• Unilever
• Qualcomm Incorporated
• ViacomCBS
• Visa

“Since its inception, Time to Vote has been a powerful advocate for voter access and
participation,” said Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, vice president and Women & Democracy Fellow at the
Brennan Center for Justice, a leading nonpartisan institute on democracy and justice in the U.S.
“When so many influential business leaders join forces – and take a stand on the vital issues of
civic engagement – it sends a compelling message. The Time to Vote coalition’s commitment to
give employees time off to vote, especially now when the challenges are so dire, can address one
of the biggest barriers to voter participation.”

Many Time to Vote companies have announced a variety of measures to ensure their employees
are able to fully participate in the general election, such as making Election Day a paid company
holiday, offering paid time off on Election Day and actively promoting initiatives such as early
voting and vote-by-mail, particularly in light of the challenges presented by voting amid a global
pandemic. Some member companies that have announced such commitments include:
• Booksource
• Burton
• CAVA
• The Coca-Cola Company
• Deloitte
• Decisely Insurance Services
• DXL Big + Tall
• Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Home Point Financial
• IdeaScale
• J.Crew
• Legacy Vacation Resorts
• Leota
• Levi Strauss & Co.
• Madewell
• Master Clinician Network
• Modern Restaurant Concepts
• Namely
• New Balance

• The North Face
• Outcome Health
• Owler
• Patagonia
• PayPal
• PNC Financial Services Group
• Ralph Lauren
• Reddit
• Reformation
• Road Warrior Creative
• Salesforce
• Sally Beauty Holdings
• Target
• Tony’s Chocolonely
• Uber
• UM Worldwide
• Warby Parker
• Work & Co.
• World Surf League

Time to Vote is asking more companies to join the movement and commit to giving its employees
the time and resources they need to vote. The goal is to have more than 1,000 companies – from
a diverse set of industries representing every state – join the movement by November 3.
Businesses interested in joining Time to Vote can visit maketimetovote.org.
To see the list of Time to Vote companies, click here.
About Time to Vote
Time to Vote is a nonpartisan, business-led initiative to help ensure employees across America
don’t have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. Participation includes giving
employees access to and information about early voting or vote-by-mail options, offering paid time
off on Election Day or making it a day without meetings. Time to Vote was founded by Levi Strauss
& Co., Patagonia and PayPal ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, when 411 companies
representing all 50 states and a variety of industries joined. For more information,
visit maketimetovote.org.

###

*Due to age, citizenship status and other factors, not all workers are guaranteed to be eligible U.S. voters.

Continue Reading

The St. Pete Catalyst

The Catalyst honors its name by aggregating & curating the sparks that propel the St Pete engine.  It is a modern news platform, powered by community sourced content and augmented with directed coverage.  Bring your news, your perspective and your spark to the St Pete Catalyst and take your seat at the table.

Email us: spark@stpetecatalyst.com

Subscribe for Free

Share with friend

Enter the details of the person you want to share this article with.