Give Your Employees Time to Vote

As a certified B Corporation, Arabella Advisors embraces the fact that we are all part of a larger community and that the health of our society ultimately depends upon strong democratic institutions and full civic participation. As such, our company's policies have always supported every employee’s ability to have their voice heard and their vote counted— and to take the time off they need to vote. We also encourage and support employees who choose to volunteer at their polling stations.

This year, we have joined 270+ companies (including many other B Corporations like Patagonia, New Belgium and others) in the non-partisan Time to Vote campaign, which is a public statement that companies are making to increase voter turn-out in the mid-term elections. As we’re a professional services firm, most of our staff already have the flexibility to take time off. But we wanted to stand in solidarity with companies that are committed to enabling all their employees to exercise their franchise (particularly minimum wage workers, those who work multiple shifts, etc.). Movements only succeed when a large set of change agents get involved, and we are excited to be part of this. Most organizations accept (and perhaps expect) that their employees will vote, but fewer celebrate and actively encourage voter participation. If you are in a position to do this within your organization, I encourage you to do it.

Voting matters deeply to me, and I suspect that my commitment to getting others to vote is driven by personal experiences. I was born here in the US but lived overseas during my childhood. I grew up in the Philippines during martial law and heard my parents talk about India during the Emergency period. These were moments in those nation’s histories when using one’s vote to drive change was incredibly risky, and I had an idealized notion that voting would be easy when I came to the United States. Almost 30 years as a voter here has shown me otherwise. Moving from state to state ‘resets’ how, when, and where you vote, ballot measures are obtuse and confusing, lines are long – voting isn’t ‘user friendly.’ That may help explain why we have among the lowest turnout rates of any democracy and why so many people ‘lean out’ of the electoral process. I have tried the opposite tack, to ‘lean in’ – registering young voters on free weekends, joining non-partisan groups to learn about gerrymandering, and working at the polls. That’s where I’ll be on November 6, as an Election Officer at my local precinct.

If you live in my neighborhood, I hope to see you there. If not, I hope you’ll vote at your own polling station or get your absentee ballot in early. And wherever you are, I hope you’ll also support and encourage others’ efforts to get out and vote.