How to Create Voter Friendly Policies at Work

Many working people struggle to find time to vote, especially if they have family obligations outside of work. One of the most common reasons Americans give for why they don’t cast their ballot is “work obligations.” You can help your employees exercise their rights by creating voter-friendly policies in your workplace, like offering paid voting leave or making Election Day a company holiday. Get to know your local voting leave laws, and go above and beyond by giving your workers additional support and resources to make voting as easy as possible.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Giving Your Employees Time Off to Vote

1. Look up your state’s laws on voter leave rights. In the U.S., there’s no federal law that requires employees to give their workers time off to vote. However, many states have their own voting leave laws. These laws can vary a lot from one state to another, so research the laws in your state to make sure that you’re in compliance.^[1]
   
   • For example, in Arizona, employers are required to give their employees up to 3 hours of paid leave time to vote. The employee must give advance notice at least 1 day before they plan to vote.^[2]
   • Some individual cities or counties might have their own voting leave ordinances, so check the laws on a more local level as well.
2. Create a specific policy for your workplace. Whatever the laws are in your state, it’s a good idea to come up with clear guidelines for your company’s employees.^[3] This will help ensure that you handle your employees’ needs in a fair and consistent manner, whether they’re voting early, absentee, or on Election Day.^[4] Sit down and write out a policy that includes things like:
   
   • A summary of local voting leave laws and how you plan to comply with them
   • How many hours off you plan to give employees to vote
   • Whether or not you will offer paid leave
   • Whether your employees need to give you advance notice of when they plan to vote
   • What days or times will be available to your employees for voting-related activities
3. Give your employees written notice of their voting rights. Explain clearly to your employees what their rights are and how you plan to accommodate those rights. Write up a clear explanation of your company policy as well as local laws related to voting and email, mail, or hand it out to all your workers.^[5]
   
   • Include these policies in your employee handbook.
   • Encourage your employees to ask any questions they might have about your company’s voting policies.
4. Allow your workers at least 2 hours of time off to vote. The length of time it takes to vote can be unpredictable, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made the voting process more complicated and uncertain than ever.^[6] Give your employees at least 2 hours off for voting, and more than that if possible.^[7]
   
   • Keep in mind that the time it will take for an employee to vote can be impacted by a huge variety of factors, including how far they have to travel from work to their polling place, whether or not they need to use public transportation, how long the lines are, and what kinds of extra safety measures they might have to deal with due to the coronavirus.
   • If you already have a specific amount of time allotted in your company policy for voting, consider extending it or dropping time restrictions altogether. This will make it easier for your employees to deal with the unique challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic.
5. Provide paid voting leave if possible to reduce employee hardship. Even if they’re able to take time off, many employees are discouraged at the thought of losing much-needed income during the time it takes to get to the polls and vote. If you can, offer paid leave so that your employees can exercise their right to vote without suffering financially.^[8]
   
   • In some states, employers are required by law to offer a certain number of hours of paid leave for voting.^[9] Even if it’s not required in your state, consider adopting paid voting leave as part of your company policy.
6. Offer leave for early voting as well as on Election Day. Your workers will feel more encouraged to vote if they have as many options as possible. Instead of restricting your employees to voting on just one day, give them the option to vote on whichever date is most convenient for them.^[10]
   
   • Most states offer some type of early voting options, sometimes starting as early as 50 days before the election. Find out when and if early voting is available in your state at Vote.org: https://www.vote.org/early-voting-calendar/.
   • If your state allows voting by mail, you can also give your workers time off to drop off or mail in their absentee ballots. A few states have transitioned entirely to voting by mail as of 2020.
   • One option is to give your employees a certain number of unspecified “civic hours” that they can use for voting-related activities whenever they like.
7. Make Election Day a corporate holiday to encourage voting. Even if you allow leave for early voting, it’s still a good idea to make Election Day a special day at your company. Give your employees the whole day off and urge them to vote, or set aside at least part of the day as a time when your workers can go to the polls.^[11]
   
   • Offering an Election Day work holiday will also give your employees a chance to get involved in the voting process in other ways. For example, if they’re not tied up at work, they can volunteer at the polls, give other voters rides to polling places, or even babysit their friends’ and colleagues’ kids while they go vote.
8. Go above and beyond what’s required by law. Whatever your local voting leave laws may be, take a leadership role by going beyond the bare minimum. Give your employees extra time and support to ensure that they have every opportunity to exercise their rights. This way, you will not only help your workers, but you’ll also set a great example for other employers in your community.^[12]
   
   • Add your company to ElectionDay.org’s database of voter-friendly companies.^[13] Share information about what you’re doing to make voting easier for your employees so that other civic-minded businesses can follow your lead!

[Edit]Providing Information and Resources

1. Distribute information to your workers about how to vote in your state. Empower your employees by giving them information about when, how, and where to vote. Share resources including voter registration rules and deadlines, vote by mail rules and deadlines, election dates, an early voting calendar, a polling place locator, voter ID information, and more. You can find all of this information at https://www.vote.org/.^[14]
   
   • Voting and election rules are changing quickly due to COVID-19, so share a reliable resource for your employees to check for any updates in their state, such as https://www.vote.org/covid-19/.
   • You can also direct your employees to websites with helpful information about upcoming elections, candidates, and ballot measures. Some good options include Vote.org, BallotReady.org, and USA.gov’s “Voting and Elections” pages.^[15]
2. Host a voter registration drive at your workplace. Make voting as easy as possible for your employees by helping them register from the convenience of work! Holding a company-wide voter registration drive is a wonderful way to encourage voting and foster an atmosphere of civic spirit in the workplace.^[16]
   
   • Contact a local organization that already has experience coordinating voter registration drives, such as your local League of Women Voters branch. They can help you make plans and assemble the materials you need to have a successful drive.^[17]
   • Getting people registered can be as simple as asking them to fill out a form online. Set up a computer with the Vote.org registration website pulled up: https://www.vote.org/register-to-vote/.
   • You can also embed free or paid Vote.org tools on your internal or external company communications platforms from https://www.vote.org/technology/.
   • Identify #VoteReady Captains across your team that suit your organizational structure to be leaders in sharing this information internally and externally.
   • Make the experience fun and exciting by having competitions to see which department can register the most voters. Or, you can offer your employees small prizes for registering, even if it’s something as simple as a sticker, pen, or button.^[18]
3. Help eligible employees apply for absentee ballots. Many states are expanding their rules regarding absentee or mail-in voting due to the coronavirus pandemic. If your employees are concerned about the safety of voting in person, encourage them to apply for an absentee ballot if your state allows it.^[19]
   
   • Let your employees know that they can apply for an absentee ballot and look up important vote-by-mail deadlines at Vote.org.
   • As of 2020, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Hawaii, Utah, and California are automatically sending mail-in ballots to all registered voters.^[20]
4. Provide access to printers, postage, childcare, and other resources employees may lack. Some employees may be discouraged from voting because they have limited access to the materials and resources they need. Reach out to your employees and help them get access to tools that will make it easier for them to vote.^[21] For example, you could:
   
   • Give out voter registration forms or absentee ballot applications, or give your employees free access to a printer so they can print out their own.
   • Provide postage-paid envelopes so your employees can mail in their ballots or registration forms.
   • Organize a shuttle or bus on Election Day to bring workers with limited transportation options to the polls.
   • Arrange a company-sponsored childcare and/or eldercare program for employees taking time off to vote on or before Election Day.
5. Give out information about voting safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many other things, the coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on voting. Help your employees by giving them up-to-date information on how the virus has affected voting in your state.^[22] You can get the latest updates by visiting your local election website or browsing the links available here: https://www.vote.org/covid-19/.
   
   • If your employees plan to vote in person, encourage them to read the CDC’s guidelines on how to stay safe.^[23] These include wearing a mask in public, staying at least from others as much as possible, and washing or sanitizing your hands frequently.

[Edit]References

1. ↑ https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/Pages/How-to-Handle-Employee-Requests-for-Time-Off-to-Vote.aspx
2. ↑ https://www.workplacefairness.org/voting-rights-time-off-work
3. ↑ https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/Pages/How-to-Handle-Employee-Requests-for-Time-Off-to-Vote.aspx
4. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
5. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
6. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
7. ↑ https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/Pages/How-to-Handle-Employee-Requests-for-Time-Off-to-Vote.aspx
8. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
9. ↑ https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/legal-and-compliance/state-and-local-updates/Pages/How-to-Handle-Employee-Requests-for-Time-Off-to-Vote.aspx
10. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
11. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
12. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
13. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/add-company
14. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
15. ↑ https://www.usa.gov/voting
16. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
17. ↑ https://www.lwv.org/blog/planning-voter-registration-drive
18. ↑ https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/advocacy/direct-action/register-voters/main
19. ↑ https://www.vote.org/absentee-voting-rules/
20. ↑ https://uspirg.org/blogs/covid-19/usp/what-you-should-do-now-safely-vote-during-covid-19
21. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
22. ↑ https://www.electionday.org/vote-friendly-policies
23. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/index.html