How Companies Supported Voting Time Off on Election Day

On November 6, a record 113 million voters participated in the 2018 midterm elections. With over 49 percent of eligible voters participating, it’s clear that many constituents took time off to vote. From Google’s “Go Vote” homepage to Lyft’s 50 percent discount on rides to the polls, companies large and small did their best to ensure everyone made it to the polls.

While there is no federal "voting time off" requirement, many state laws require businesses to give employees some degree of flexibility on Election Day. Some employers, including Spotify, Survey Monkey, and TaskRabbit, take it a step further by giving employees the entire day off to vote, designating Election Day as a company holiday.

Our Findings

Data from the over 1,000 companies that use Namely reveals that employees not only took time off to vote, but to volunteer as poll workers as well. While the majority of time off requests were for casting ballots, it was encouraging to see that 16 percent of the requests mentioned working at the polls, canvassing for candidates, or even shuttling voters to their designated locations.

In addition, nearly five percent of time off requests referenced needing to stay home with children due to school closures on Election Day. In one time off request, a civic-minded employee said that he needed to travel all the way from San Diego to Texas to cast his ballot.

What It Means for HR

The modern workforce demands a more holistic type of work-life balance, and the companies that support this are some of the most successful in attracting and retaining talent. Whether it’s going to cast a vote, working at the polls, or spending the day at home when schools are closed, consider how you can support your employees during these important moments.