To: large employers like Walmart
Give employees paid time off to vote!
All eligible voters should have the opportunity to cast their vote during election season, which is why we urge you to give your hourly employees 3 hours of paid time off to be used for the purpose of voting. We encourage you to do right by your employees—and by our democracy—by providing time off without economic hardship for them to cast their ballot.
Why is this important?
Four years ago, Regina got up early to vote before her workday started at Walmart. It ended up taking two hours to cast her ballot. Thankfully, she made it to work just in time, but voting shouldn’t be that stressful!
No worker at Walmart, or any other business, should have to worry about facing a reprimand (or even losing a job) in order to exercise their right to vote. In the last presidential election, only about half of eligible voters across the U.S. turned out to vote, and in 2014 only one-third made it to the polls.
Most American workers have little or no paid time off. In fact, 41% of them didn’t take a single day off in 2015. Additional factors like long lines, transportation challenges, and lack of childcare make voting quickly very difficult for low-wage workers.
Voting is a right we hold dear in the U.S., but with too few voters making it to the polls each election year, we need to do everything we can to make sure people have the time they need to cast their ballot. Low-wage workers have it especially difficult because their work is typically less flexible and they are twice as likely to have to wait in long lines once they get to the polls.
Companies like Walmart that employ a large number of low-wage workers have a great opportunity to do right by their employees—and by our democracy—by giving their employees paid time off to go vote!