In the throes of a pandemic that has claimed the lives of 225,000 Americans and counting, tanked the economy and contributed to months of civil unrest, the U.S. is facing one of the most critical presidential elections ever. It’s also looking at one of the weirdest elections in modern history because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has shut down traditional polling locations, created a shortage of poll workers and prompted lines that wrap around city blocks as voters queue up, in socially distanced fashion, to vote early. Millions of Americans are also casting their ballot by mail.
Given all this upheaval, you’d think that voters would at least be guaranteed compensated time off to vote, but alas, much of that depends on your state. According to Ballotpedia, only 28 states during the 2020 election cycle require employers to permit employees time off to vote. As such, many people have to choose between work — at a time when job losses are rampant — and fulfilling their civic duties.
In an effort to help make voting less stressful than it already is, more than 1,700 companies have partnered with Time To Vote in pledging that their employees will have time off to vote. Some companies, such as Gap and its family of brands, are taking it a step further by paying staff to volunteer at the polls. Other companies, like Uber, are going all-out in offering free food to voters, adding new in-app voting location finder features, and rolling out temporary polling places.
Here’s a look at some of the biggest companies offering their employees paid time off or other incentives during the election.
Last updated: Oct. 29, 2020
