The last few months have seen a lot of emotional turmoil, from dealing with the difficulties of COVID restrictions to the passionate protesting for civil rights and accountability. The issues being discussed at a national level mean a lot to many of us who work at HomeWorks Energy, and it has been inspiring to us to see people around the country organizing action to have their voices heard. Not everybody has the ability or opportunity to go out and join community actions, but everybody has a right to have their voice heard by casting their ballots on Election Day.
We believe strongly that every person should have the unimpeded ability to exercise their right to vote. While states have opened up more ways to vote early or remotely, a significant portion of people will still wait until Election Day itself to cast their ballots. However, since Election Day is not a national holiday, many people are simply not able to make it. Whether you identify as Republican, Democrat, or Independent, no person should feel like they are not given the time needed to play their role in setting the direction of their local and national government. As long as Election Day is not a national holiday, it’s up to private companies like HomeWorks Energy to make those changes ourselves.
Therefore, HomeWorks Energy is thrilled to lead the way and officially adopt Election Day as a company holiday. Starting this November 3rd, HomeWorks Energy will treat Election Day just like any other paid holiday on our calendar, ensuring that everybody at HomeWorks has the opportunity to be a part of the democratic process. This will be true not only for all presidential election years, but also for mid-term election years. That means that our team members will always be able to cast their votes for Federal roles like President, Senator, and Representative, but also for State roles like Governor, Attorney General, District Attorney, all the way down to Sheriff.
Please join us in the voting, not just in this upcoming election, but for all the elections to come! We ask other companies to consider making Election Day a paid holiday for their employees, as there’s nothing more important than our democratic process and the freedom to choose our leaders.
Voting Resources:
Registration: The deadline to register to vote is October 24th (10 days before the election). If you have not yet registered to vote, we recommend you do so ASAP – don’t wait until the 24th has already arrived! You can now register online at www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr as long as you have a driver’s license or state ID. You can also register by mail or in-person by following the directions on the site. register by mail or in-person by following the directions on the site.
Vote by Mail: Due to COVID 19, all registered voters may vote by mail. Vote by mail applications were mailed to all voters who were registered by July 1st. Another mailing should go out this month. The application must reach the election office no later than October 28th (4 days before the election), but the state strongly encourages voters to do so as soon as possible to ensure you receive your ballot in time. You can also download the vote by mail application from the sec.state.ma.us website. This is just to apply to vote by mail, you still need to actually receive your mail-in ballot, fill it out, and return it in time for it to be counted.
Early Voting: In-person early voting locations will be opened between October 17 – October 30. Not all locations will be open for this entire time, so go to www.MassEarlyVote.com to find out when your closest location will be open. All towns are required to provide early voting on October 17/18 and October 24/25. Schedules and locations will be posted by early October.
