Opinion: Patriotism and Voting in the Workplace
October 17, 2020 - San Antonio
Encouraging civic engagement among employees. “Every vote is equal to the next and if you don’t use yours, someone else is making decisions for you and your family,” writes Jamie Allen, chief operating officer at Texas Creative, in an opinion piece about promoting voting participation in the workplace. Photo: Jade Esteban Estrada.
By Jamie Allen, Guest Opinion, San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Texas Creative is giving their staff the entire day of November 3rd off with pay to encourage involvement as election workers, poll watchers, poll monitors, or campaign supporters
- In Bexar County, voter turnout for November general elections hovers just under 57%, which means almost 500,000 registered voters fail to cast a ballot
As a small business, it’s always been part of our company DNA to encourage voting. We have built into our Texas Creative handbook the standard paid time off for voting - one hour - and encourage our staff to register to vote when they join our team. Usually that’s enough. But this year, as we head into an election with anticipated record voter turnout, we decided we had to do more to help with our civic duties.
You see, there are a lot of ways to show your patriotism: saying the pledge, flying the flag, singing the national anthem, or serving in our military. But voting is the most patriotic thing any American can do. It’s a gift of voice many in the world don’t enjoy. It’s the bedrock of our democracy. It’s also the great equalizer. Every vote is equal to the next and if you don’t use yours, someone else is making decisions for you and your family.
Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father and our 3rd president, said, “We do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” In Bexar County, our typical registered voter turnout for November general elections hovers just under 57%, meaning almost 500,000 fail to cast a ballot. This is just pitiful when so much of our lives are impacted by the leaders we choose. We are hoping that we can increase that voter turnout to above 65%. You can do your part by making sure your employees have paid time off to vote.
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This year, we have given our Texas Creative staff the entire day of November 3rd off with pay. We are also launching a voter education social media effort. We’re not giving our team the day off because we want them to vote on that specific day. Actually, early voting is the preferred choice due to anticipated turnout on Election Day. We’re doing it because we want them to get involved as paid election workers, poll watchers, poll monitors, campaign supporters, and any other way they feel makes a difference in their democracy. We are Good to Go Vote, are you?
Other companies in San Antonio are also doing innovative things. USAA is giving their staff a half-day off to vote and Old Navy announced they will pay their 50,000 employees to work the polls. Hundreds of companies are taking the Time to Vote pledge, including Texas Creative and some of our suppliers, Centro and Cox Enterprises and Campaign Monitor. Join the movement to make voting a priority because it’s good for business.
Visit the Bexar County Elections Department website for local voting information. Bexar County will have 48 early voting centers including four new mega sites; the AT&T Center, Alzafar Shrine Auditorium, Palo Alto College, and St. Paul Community Center. Voters can vote at any voting center.
Jamie Allen is the chief operating officer of Texas Creative, an award-winning, full-service advertising agency based in San Antonio. She was also appointed to the Workforce Solutions Alamo Board of Directors, the Bexar County SWMBE Advisory Board and serves on the JFS Board of Directors.