Austin, TX – October 30, 2018 – On November 6th – Election Day – Alamo Drafthouse screens from coast to coast will be dark. Lobbies will be empty. No queso will be made… well, until mid-afternoon, at least. That’s because all 36 of the cinema eatery’s locations will be canceling the first round of shows to allow all employees time to vote in the midterm elections.
“My mom instilled in me at a young age the importance of voting in every election, and I try to pay that forward with the staff at Alamo,” says Tim League, Alamo Drafthouse founder and CEO. “So, we’re closing our locations for the first round of shows and offering to pick up the tab on any staff member’s rideshare to a polling place.”
One of Alamo Drafthouse’s core priorities is civic participation, including encouraging voter participation in the 27 cities Alamo Drafthouse serves. Those efforts have included a national voter awareness PSA contest, partnerships with civic leaders on non-partisan voter registration campaigns, distribution of “I’m So Gonna Vote” stickers at the box office and – for many employees – actually becoming voter registrars.
“As a Travis County voter registrar, myself and other Alamo employees signed up friends and co-workers, and volunteered for sign-up shifts in theater lobbies,” says Lauren Cooke, Creative Project Manager. “It was a rewarding experience to know you’ve helped someone participate in our democracy. Alone, I think I registered around fifty people. How cool is that?!”
Alamo Drafthouse’s social media team even had some cheeky fun on October 8th, with a viral post stating that the company’s much-lauded “No Talking, No Texting” policy was being put up to a vote.
To find out how to vote early, to get an absentee ballot, or to find your polling place, visit vote.org
