‘A Day for Democracy’: Non-partisan effort launched in Boston pushes for time off to vote

BOSTON — In just a few weeks, it will be time to vote in the 2024 presidential election.

Historically, Americans don’t have a great track record when it comes to exercising their democratic right.

One young man told Boston 25 News that “a lot of people just don’t want to wait in the lines.”

Another man said people also stay away if the weather is bad.

Peter Palandjian, a real estate developer in Brighton, wants to make it easier for people to vote.

He started a non-partisan effort to encourage employers to give workers time off to vote.

It’s called “A Day for Democracy.”

In 2020, 66.6% of Americans voted in the presidential election which was the highest percentage of voters since 1900.

Still, the United States lags behind countries like Sweden, Australia, Germany, and France.

“We don’t get full representation unless people vote,” said Palandjian.

He wants to get more people to the polls.

“A Day for Democracy has a pretty simple mission. It’s to encourage employers to make it easier for employees to vote,” said Palandjian. “I had this simple idea that a good lever in our country would be our employer base, because pretty much everyone over 18, or in their 20′s, has a job.”

This non-partisan effort started in the Boston business community and has now gone national.

400 companies, covering almost two million employees, have now signed a pledge to give their staff time off to vote.

Local workers told Boston 25 News this would make a difference.

“Absolutely,” said one woman. “I’m in the health care industry and I know we are working day and night and sometimes people just don’t have that option.”

Getting employers to make a pledge is step one of A Day for Democracy.

Passing legislation is step two.

They’re supporting a bill that would modernize a state law from the 1800s to give workers of today the time they need to get to the polls.

“We hope to put up a win in Massachusetts and then keep marching around the country because if we can’t make this a national holiday, this would be the next thing to take a state-by-stay approach that requires employers to let employees have enough time to vote.”

Palandjian says his commitment to this cause started young when he’d go to Belmont Town Hall with his parents when they voted.

He says the stakes are high today.

“This was just about making it important to vote, no matter what your party was.”

Palandjian says he has received pledges from business leaders across the political spectrum, and across the country.

The deadline for new voters to register in Massachusetts is October 26th.

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