Last month, Patagonia committed $11.2 million to a simple idea: help people make a plan to vote, then encourage them to bring friends and family along. Within four days, participants had claimed the full amount.
The company’s 11.2 Million Vote Project offered a $100 Patagonia credit, or a $100 donation to the League of Conservation Voters, to anyone who sent a personalized voting plan to three friends or family members. More than 112,000 people participated between September 26 and 30, helping nearly 500,000 people make plans to vote on November 3.
Patagonia has never been shy about speaking out. Most employers won’t match its voice or its investment. But every company can take something from its approach: make participation easier.
Paid time, clear information, help getting to the polls and support for employees who want to serve as poll workers. Companies leading on civic engagement deserve recognition, and more employers should follow.
Business has a stake – and a role
Companies make decisions every day that affect whether people can vote: when shifts start, whether time off is paid and whether someone can step away without getting penalized. Civic engagement is already a workplace issue.
At the National Partnership, we work on paid leave, reproductive health care, caregiving and workplace protections. Elected officials make decisions about all of it. Whether women can help choose those officials matters to every part of our work.
Companies cannot resolve every barrier to voting. They can remove barriers within their own workplaces.
Why this year demands more attention
This year’s election follows a major setback for voting rights. In April, the Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais sharply narrowed Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, weakening a critical tool for challenging racially discriminatory congressional maps.
Voting requirements are changing too. More than three dozen voting laws passed in Republican-controlled states are taking effect for the first time, including changes to identification requirements and mail voting. Rules that someone relied on in the last election may no longer apply.
A generic “remember to vote” message can only do so much. Help employees check their registration, understand their voting options and make a plan while there is still time to act.
For someone arranging child care, covering a shift or caring for a family member, sorting out a registration or ID problem takes time they may not have. Employers can help by giving workers time to handle those steps, as well as time to cast a ballot.
What leadership looks like
At Levi Strauss & Co., civic engagement dates back more than 150 years: in 1864, Levi Strauss closed his business so employees could vote. Today, the company gives employees across its offices, retail stores and distribution centers the time and information they need to vote in every election. It also helped launch Time to Vote alongside Patagonia and PayPal in 2018, encouraging other employers to make the same commitment.
This fall, Levi Strauss & Co. and the Levi Strauss Foundation are also supporting voter engagement at 30 community college campuses and committing nearly $3 million to nonprofits working on voter participation, civic dialogue and trusted election information.
Through partnerships with the League of Women Voters, Lush is hosting voter registration and education events at more than 70 shops throughout September and October. EILEEN FISHER launched a civic engagement digital campaign and has additional voter engagement efforts planned through the fall.
Lyft is offering discounted rides and partnering with community organizations to help voters reach the polls. It is also recruiting poll workers, including its own employees.
These examples give other companies something concrete to borrow. For employers wondering where to start, look at your own workforce. Can someone on an hourly shift use your voting policy as easily as someone who controls their own calendar? Does a manager arrange coverage, or is the employee left to figure it out?
Research covering 30 million workers across 377,000 employers found that working at a Time to Vote company increased an employee’s likelihood of voting by 2.1 percentage points compared with working at other employers. The researchers also found that the effect persisted after employees changed jobs.
Yes, it’s the midterms. And yes, Election Day is almost here. Start anyway. Put a policy in place, tell people about it and see what needs fixing. Then keep it for every. single. election.
What companies can do now
Give paid time – and let people use it early.
Offer dedicated paid voting time, including during early voting, so employees can choose an option that works with their jobs and caregiving responsibilities.
Make the policy usable.
Put it in writing, explain it to managers and arrange shift coverage. Make sure hourly and part-time employees can use it without losing pay or facing attendance penalties. Give workers flexibility to resolve registration or identification issues before they head to the polls.
Share information people can act on.
Direct employees to their state or local election office and the League of Women Voters’ VOTE411 for current deadlines, identification requirements and voting options. Use communication channels that reach the whole workforce: shift meetings, break-room boards, texts and accessible messages, as well as email.
Help address transportation barriers.
Share available ride assistance and transit information, and allow enough flexibility for travel and potential lines. Lyft’s announced Election Day program offers 50% off an eligible ride to the polls, up to $10, using the code VOTE26.
Support the people running elections.
Offer paid time for employees to train and serve as poll workers, and connect interested staff with Power the Polls. Companies can also support organizations providing nonpartisan voter education and assistance.
Join Civic Alliance through Time to Vote – and put the commitment into practice.
Joining Time to Vote includes Civic Alliance membership and access to year-round nonpartisan resources, programming and partnerships. For existing members, this is a moment to reaffirm voting policies, communicate them clearly and check whether employees across the workforce can actually use them.
Vote Early Day is Saturday, October 24. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Give people paid time. Make sure their managers know how it works. Keep the policy after November 3. That’s a useful contribution to democracy, whether or not anyone issues a press release.