Inkhouse Will Close Again This Election Day — And So Should You

“Excuse us while we embrace idealism for a bit.”

That sentence opened Inkhouse President Jason Morris’ blog two years ago announcing that Inkhouse would be closed Election Day — not just for that critical midterm, but for every Election Day, in perpetuity. 

Inkhouse joined companies like Patagonia in a then-nascent movement that has since ballooned to more than 1,600 companies that give their employees a paid day off to vote. A widely-cited Pew Research study from 2018 found 65% of Americans are in favor of an Election Day holiday — support that has only grown as major employers like Nike, Twitter and Coca Cola joined the cause. 

A lot has happened since we published Jason’s post. I desperately want to time travel and warn 2018 Jason of what’s to come (“Trust me, it is NOT good…first off, before I explain why I’m wearing this mask, I need you to please move back another five feet or so…keep going…and are you going to use all those bleach wipes?”) but I can’t. 

I don't have to tell you there’s a lot at stake in this election — I’m guessing we’ve all done enough doomscrolling for me to spare you the details here today. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this an election like no other; as I write this on October 28, the U.S. Elections Project shows that early voters have cast more than 65 million ballots with the election still six days away. Here in Massachusetts, I joined the nearly 2 million people who voted early. 

With that, Inkhouse will still be closed this coming November 3, regardless of when or how our employees vote — by mail or in person, both early and on Election Day itself.

In 2018, we unveiled the holiday “in an effort to encourage the enfranchisement and participation of our team members in our election process at whatever level they deem appropriate. This could be simply showing up the polls and voting, or it could be canvassing in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania or in a closely contested Congressional District in California.”

In 2020, like so many important things, we can’t do much of this in person. 

But we’re encouraging our employees to find ways to be as involved as they would like to be — through virtual canvassing, volunteering for causes of personal importance, or simply taking a day to reflect.

Earlier in 2020, Inkhouse added an 11th entry to our corporate values: 

“We make change happen in our communities. We understand making an impact in our communities matters to all of us. We use our voice as a force for positive change that moves the world toward equality.” 

We make change happen every time we volunteer, advocate or demonstrate to support the critical issues that matter most — and crucially, every time we vote.

This November 3, Inkhouse is giving our employees the space to find clarity and flexibility to make that change happen, and we strongly encourage our clients, prospects, competitors, partners and other companies well beyond our ecosystem to follow suit.

For voting matters, here are some resources:

• Vote.org
• When We All Vote
• Vote411
• Rock The Vote