Foundations have a special opportunity to help citizens exercise their right to vote in this challenging and historic election. We applaud our peers who have already stepped up and dug deep this year in response to the compounding challenges threatening a smooth and fair electoral process. They have committed hundreds of millions to nonpartisan efforts, such as national vote-by-mail efforts, educational campaigns, registration campaigns, and get-out-the-vote drives aimed at underrepresented populations.
But we can still take one more major step to defend and expand access to our democracy: We can give employees paid time off to vote and volunteer on Election Day — and encourage our grantees and other partners to do the same.
Taking this action is especially critical in 2020. While more people than ever are expected to vote by mail because of the pandemic, those who opt to vote in person face a host of potential challenges that could significantly lengthen the process, including a shortage of poll workers and increased social-distancing measures. Additionally, parents and other caregivers — the majority of whom are women and people of color juggling work and family obligations — need to plan ahead to cast their ballots. Time off is essential for these voters.
Finally, those who have already voted by mail before Election Day can still help protect our democracy on November 3 by volunteering as poll workers, guides, or nonpartisan election-protection monitors.
Our foundations — the Ford Foundation and Wallace Global Fund — join a growing number of organizations, including Feeding America and Carnegie Hall, that are offering staff members paid time off to vote and volunteer on Election Day. If other foundations agree to do the same and encourage their grantees and partners to follow suit, the combined ripple effects could be enormous.
20 Million Potential Voters
The nonprofit world, which is composed of both grant-making and grant-seeking organizations, makes up 14 percent of the U.S. work force. That means more than 20 million potential voters work for an organization that regularly interacts with philanthropy. If we had reached 100 percent participation by those voters in the 2016 election, employees of nonprofit organizations would have made up 16 percent of all votes cast. Imagine the potential impact if foundations not only gave our staff paid time off to vote but also urged our nonprofit grantees to do the same.
Many nonprofits already recognize the untapped voters within their ranks and encourage greater participation. Advocacy organizations Global Citizen and HeadCount recently announced a new partnership that, among other goals, will encourage corporations, universities, and nonprofits to provide paid time off to vote. Nonprofit VOTE, When We All Vote, Time to Vote, and others are also driving important nonpartisan initiatives to bolster participation. Nearly 1,000 companies and nonprofit groups have committed to providing time off to vote across these and other campaigns.
We can also strengthen the nonprofit world’s commitment to a healthy democracy by educating our own work forces about nonpartisan opportunities to participate in the electoral process.
Research shows it can make a real difference when nonprofit staff members volunteer their time to serve as poll workers, encourage their friends and family to vote, and share critical information about the voting process with their networks. In the 2018 election, for example, voters from underrepresented groups reached by nonprofit engagement campaigns were 11 percent more likely to vote, according to Nonprofit VOTE. Those voters were also more than two times less likely to be white, three times more likely to be under the age of 25, and two times more likely to have an annual income of less than $30,000.
For years, the Ford Foundation and Wallace Global Fund have joined our peers in funding essential efforts to strengthen our democracy and create a more inclusive electoral process. We are proud of this work. But to ensure a fair election this year, we must do more. Philanthropic organizations should make it easier for our staff and partners to participate in democracy on November 3. We should give them the day off.
