San Antonio Teen Leads Campaign for More Time Off to Vote Safely During Pandemic
Upon learning that her summer internship with a youth civic engagement organization was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 17-year-old Sarah Moorman felt disappointed but determined. She was not going to let this setback deter her from addressing the issue of voter turnout.
Moorman recognized that those who waited until the last minute to vote would face a significant hurdle on Election Day: work. People who voted before or after work, or during lunch breaks, might be dissuaded by overcrowded polling stations, which posed health risks.
To tackle this problem, Moorman launched a campaign called Day2Vote. Through her efforts, 52 companies with a total of 14,889 employees have pledged to provide either a full or half day of paid time off for voting.
The success of the campaign is a testament to Moorman’s perseverance. Her original internship with Texas Rising involved more traditional methods of civic engagement, many of which relied on face-to-face interactions. When her second idea to fight for mail-in ballots faced obstacles in the federal court system, Moorman thought about other roadblocks to voter participation.
"As it became clear that the mail-in ballot initiative was not going to happen, I started considering other challenges to voter participation," said Moorman, a native of San Antonio. She believed that if people couldn’t easily and reliably vote from home, it was crucial to make polling stations safer. Texas had already extended early voting to reduce crowds, but long wait times at usually empty polling stations during this period suggested a historic turnout leading up to November 3.
Therefore, Moorman decided to focus on the business community with Day2Vote. She urged business leaders to commit to giving employees the day off or offering flexible paid time off so that they could visit polling stations when crowds were lighter.
Providing workers with a day off is a favored strategy among voting advocates. Some states already observe Election Day as a civic holiday, and in 2018, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders introduced a bill to make it a national holiday.
In Texas, where the likelihood of a civic holiday is low, several local leaders have expressed support for Day2Vote. Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, president and CEO of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, stated, "No one should ever have to choose between a paycheck and voting. When employers remove that particular barrier, they empower their teams to go to the polls and fulfill their civic duty."
Saucedo-Herrera emphasized the importance of increasing flexibility in voting, especially during the pandemic. She stated, "With COVID-19 affecting our world and how we interact in person, something needs to change to ensure people feel safe and supported when voting this year."
Sarah Moorman’s father, Lew Moorman, is a well-established entrepreneur in the San Antonio tech community. Through her father’s initial contacts, Sarah was able to gain early momentum as tech companies spread the word about Day2Vote. One of the city’s largest employers, USAA, has agreed to participate in the campaign.
Voter participation in San Antonio has been gradually increasing over the past decade. In 2014, it had the lowest turnout among the 22 largest cities in the U.S. However, recent efforts by organizations like MOVE Texas and the Texas Organizing Project have led to significant increases in voter turnout. Nevertheless, areas with high poverty rates still experience the lowest voter turnout, and most major employers in those areas have not publicly committed to providing employees with voting flexibility.
Regarding the feedback she has received, Moorman said, "It has been interesting. Many people say it is a no-brainer and they love the idea, but others are hesitant due to potential financial implications or because they believe that the additional early voting days this election year are already sufficient."
While Texas does allow paid time off to vote if a worker’s schedule does not permit at least two consecutive hours during polling hours, Bret Piatt, CEO of Jungle Disk, a tech company based in San Antonio, argued that this law does not provide adequate flexibility for most workers. Only a few shifts would make it impossible to vote entirely. Piatt is participating in Day2Vote by giving his employees paid time off as needed to vote. Ideally, he would prefer to provide two hours, but he is willing to offer more if employees need multiple visits to polling stations to find a time without crowds. He believes that hourly customer service representatives should have the same flexibility as salaried workers at Jungle Disk.
Piatt stated, "It’s not fair to say that your right to vote is different just because you work shifts instead of having a salaried position."
Piatt is also a partner in the industry with CAST Tech High School, which is a school affiliated with the San Antonio Independent School District. Jungle Disk offers internships, and Piatt provides guidance to the high school on certifications and courses that can enhance students’ competitiveness in the technology sector after they graduate.
This collaboration allows Piatt to regularly interact with young individuals. He observes that civic engagement is on the rise amongst students as they engage in activities such as reading, listening to podcasts, watching political videos on YouTube, and joining interest groups on social media platforms. Piatt believes that this increase in engagement could be attributed to the wider availability of information through various channels. Unlike before, children are no longer restricted to the perspectives and passions of their peers; instead, they can now connect with like-minded individuals and organizations both nationally and internationally. This enables them to actively participate in discussions and initiatives surrounding important issues such as climate change, gun control, and civic responsibility, as illustrated by Moorman’s experience.
Moorman herself acknowledges the impact of social media on her generation’s political awareness and interest. She believes that platforms like social media have contributed to her peers becoming more knowledgeable about politics and voting.
Overall, Piatt’s involvement with the school and his interactions with young people have highlighted the positive role that social media plays in shaping the political engagement of today’s youth.
