Burton Snowboards will be closing its headquarters and stores in the U.S. on Election Day, which falls this year on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The company says it has been providing its American employees with time off, flexible schedules and “the resources they need” to vote in local, state and federal elections since 2018. It is also encouraging its employees to serve as poll workers, connecting them with the Power the Polls project, run by a group called Work Elections. In addition, Burton is directing potential voters to the election tools of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and working with a number of other non-profit organizations on related matters. One is Protect Our Winters (POW), a conservationist group founded by the snowboarder Jeremy Jones, whose website offers an “Election Center” with tools to help with voter registration and ballot requests. Another is Business for America, which promotes “corporate civic responsibility” and is urging the government to fund election initiatives.
Other companies have been taking similar actions. Like Burton, Patagonia has been connecting its employees with Power the Polls, while Foot Locker has engaged Rock the Vote to set up voter-registration stands at its stores.
