A coalition of major companies is stepping in where the government isn’t to bolster political participation and provide easier access to polling stations this November.
Lyft, Patagonia and Walmart are three out of nearly 150 companies that have jumpstarted an effort called “Time to Vote,” pushing to increase voter turnout, after fewer than half of eligible voters did so in 2014.
People already know why it’s important for them to vote. But when circumstance gets in the way, when an employee can’t get time off of work or a person without a car can’t find access to a polling station, that’s when they tell themselves that their vote isn’t worth the hassle. That the outcome of the election would be the same regardless of whether or not they stand in line for hours.
That’s why it’s so important that these companies aren’t just talking at their customers, but taking action to make things easier for them. If the government isn’t going to address issues of voting inaccessibility — either by mandating that the day be made a national holiday, requiring employers to give employees several hours off or decreasing wait times at polling stations — corporations with the money to step in should.
Lyft will be offering a 50 percent discount on rides to polling locations for the general population and providing free rides to people who live in underserved communities. The company is also providing a product integration making it easier for voters to find their polling location.
It’s incredibly important that the opportunity to vote be expanded for citizens in minority communities. Lyft cited a study from the Pew Research Center finding that 46 percent of non-voters have incomes under $30,000. Income can influence whether or not people decide to vote for a variety of reasons, but these factors are more often than not connected back to race.
Black and hispanic citizens, for whom the poverty rate is three times higher than that of white citizens, are three times more likely to have difficulty finding the correct polling place or have to wait in long lines. Encouraging voter turnout in a way that actively makes a difference in whether or not people can make it to the polls combats a system where the voices of white people are magnified.
Patagonia is doing its part by shutting down its corporate location and retail stores for the entire day Nov. 6, giving employees the opportunity to take as long as they need to visit the polls.
Time to Vote is backed by many companies that have stayed out of politics thus far. The companies involved in the coalition have said that it is nonpartisan, which is hard for some to believe considering that Patagonia is in the middle of suing Trump for shrinking multiple national monuments.
But regardless of whether or not these companies are hoping to sway the elections in Democratic favor, companies don’t speak on behalf of their employees or customers. Giving time off or giving a free ride to a polling station will provide a political platform to people of a spectrum of beliefs.
Encouraging people to vote shouldn’t be a partisan issue. But because any midterm election decides the question of whether or not Congress can become what the White House isn’t, Republicans can perceive Time to Vote as an effort to gain Democratic control of Congress rather than what it is — a genuine effort to combat political apathy.
These companies are taking a valiant effort to remedy a history of problems with voter turnout and giving all citizens equal access to one of their most fundamental rights — the right to vote — when the government remains inactive.
