Earlier today, Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs of America’s leading companies, released a statement supporting paid time off and flexibility for voting.

In response to the Business Roundtable’s call for action, Margaret Keane, CEO of Synchrony and member of the Business Roundtable, issued the following statement:

“Our democracy’s foundation is built on the right to vote and it’s thanks to the hard-fought efforts of those who came before us that we are all permitted to exercise this fundamental privilege. It is especially noteworthy this year as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

These last few months have shown it is more important than ever to ensure Americans are empowered to safely exercise their right to vote in all elections– including at the local, state and national levels.

Synchrony is proud to support the Business Roundtable and its members who are working to ensure that every citizen who qualifies is able to vote. That’s why we have continued to support, honor, and celebrate this right by providing our colleagues with information, tools and resources needed to participate in our democratic process. Our efforts include:

• Providing flexible, paid time off for employees to get to their local polling location on election day this November and flexible scheduling options for other elections and primaries.
• Encouraging our employees to exercise their right to vote through an on-going speaker series, featuring voting rights thought leaders, and sharing insights and education on the history of voting in the U.S. and the importance of democratic elections.
• Launching a non-partisan online platform to make it easier for our employees to register and make a plan to vote – whether that is voting by mail, early voting or voting on Election Day.
• Joining the “Time to Vote” campaign to help increase voter turnout.

I want to thank Mary Barra and my fellow Business Roundtable CEOs for their leadership on advancing paid time off and flexibility for employees to vote. I hope the leaders of all organizations will join us in putting the infrastructure and resources in place to ensure the right to vote is accessible and encouraged.