Businesses urged to help workers and customers exercise voting rights
Companies including Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's and Lush are partnering with the ACLU to give employees and customers nonpartisan information on how to vote and what to do if problems arise at the polls.
Businesses across the United States are stepping into the voting process ahead of the election, partnering with the American Civil Liberties Union to give employees and customers nonpartisan information on how to cast a ballot without obstacles. Patagonia, for example, recently gathered nearly 100 employees and grantees for a virtual "Know Your Voting Rights" training, where attendees learned how to reach the polls without impediment, vote free from intimidation, and confirm that their ballot would be counted as cast.
The Patagonia session is part of a broader effort in which the ACLU is equipping more than 100 businesses with actionable information designed to build voter confidence and participation. The goal, according to the organization's outreach, is to help eligible voters among a company's workforce and customer base cast their ballots and understand what steps to take if any issues arise at the polls. Participants were also given instructions on how to help others do the same.
The push comes during a cycle marked by misinformation, attacks on voting procedures and threats that could keep voters away from the polls. The source material argues that corporations can serve as a steady voice in that environment by offering credible resources on practical questions: how to check voter registration status, whether an ID is required at the polls, whether early voting is available and what rights voters have once they arrive.
Corporate participation is spreading in a variety of forms. Corporations across the country are offering "Know Your Voting Rights" trainings to tens of thousands of employees. Hachette Book Group and Dr. Bronner's have provided in-kind contributions to the ACLU's "Party at the Polls" events, local activities designed to make voting feel festive. Patagonia has also distributed "Know Your Rights" stickers to employees and customers across its retail locations, headquarters and warehouses.
Other brands have taken more creative approaches. At Spencer's, which operates more than 600 stores nationwide, shoppers can fill out a "make a plan to vote" bingo card at the register. Guests staying at one of Aspen One's six Limelight Hotels will find an ACLU resource in their room that helps them devise a voting plan and understand their rights. Ben & Jerry's released a new ice-cream flavor, Razz Up, in support of the ACLU's voter participation work and distributed free ice cream alongside ACLU resources to 17,000 people across Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina and Texas. Its digital campaign on the effort has generated millions of views.
Obey Giant, the business of artist Shepard Fairey, teamed up with Tom Petty's estate on a poster of the musician featuring the title of his song "I Won't Back Down," with proceeds benefiting the ACLU. Lush, meanwhile, has offered family-friendly bath-bomb-making activities to encourage early voting and is sharing ACLU resources in its more than 200 stores and with its 2 million subscribers. Earlier this month, the city of Detroit set a record for early voting at a single location, a result the source material links to a "Party at the Polls" event and the support of participating brands.
Some companies run their own programs. Levi Strauss & Co. has developed one to support community college students in civic engagement, Lyft offers discounts to voters who need a ride to the polls, and Disney has aired public service-style announcements encouraging voter participation across its networks.
The case for corporate involvement rests in part on public expectations and trust. A 2024 report cited in the source found that 82 percent of U.S. adults say companies should give workers time off to vote, and 69 percent say they should encourage voting. A Harvard case study found that voter engagement programs are well received by customers and employees alike and raise brand awareness among new audiences, and offering time off to vote has been found to improve employee retention. According to this year's Edelman Trust Barometer, "business" (64 percent) and "my employer" (78 percent) rank among the most trusted institutions, ahead of NGOs (58 percent), the media (54 percent) and the government (53 percent). The source argues that accurate information from employers can also ease tension in the workplace during an anxious political period.
A study of the "Time to Vote" initiative, now run by the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition with thousands of members that helps distribute election information, found that employees of participating companies were twice as likely to exercise their right to vote. The source also notes that vote counting may extend beyond election night, and that this is a normal part of the process rather than a sign of impropriety, a point corporations can help communicate to the public.
6
