White Castle will close for four hours on Election Day so its employees can vote

White Castle restaurants will close for four hours on Election Day so their employees can vote, the chain announced Tuesday.

All of White Castle’s locations will close down from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the employees who are scheduled to work during that shift will receive paid time off, according to a company news release.

“White Castle is a family-owned business that has been around for nearly 100 years, so this is our 25th presidential election,” said Lisa Ingram, White Castle president and CEO. “We have decided to start a new tradition. Starting this year and going forward, White Castle will give team members time to exercise their right to vote in presidential elections. We believe voting is a right of responsible citizenship, and we want all our team members to have that opportunity.”

The restaurants are typically open 24 hours a day. The change in hours on Election Day helps the company underscore the importance of voting, Ingram said.

Hundreds of companies nationally have pledged to increase voter participation among their employees through the Time to Vote movement. Companies in the movement include Bank of America, Levi Strauss, Tyson Foods and Visa.

Old Navy will pay its employees for an eight-hour work day to be poll workers on Election Day, McClatchy News reported. Facebook also announced it will pay its employees to help at voting sites.

This story was originally published October 27, 2020 at 3:50 PM with the headline "White Castle will close for four hours on Election Day so its employees can vote."