This Hotel Chain is also Registering you to Vote when you Stay

Posted By Jon Nickel-D'Andrea on Sep 9, 2020 | 2 comments

It’s no secret that this November election is going to be the most important in the history of our nation. Voter registration is up and people are concerned, rightfully so, about the coronavirus and the voting booth.

One hotel chain is turning over 500 locations into voter registration centers, allowing you to register to vote when you check-in.

What’s ESA?

ESA, or Extended Stay America, is a chain of long-term hotel stays in the United States. When we first moved to Seattle we stayed in an ESA hotel near the airport, mostly because we didn’t know where we wanted to live and the weekly rate was super cheap (around $400 for the week).

Now, from Extended Stay America, you can register to vote when you stay:

People come first at Extended Stay America. We exist to take care of people who are building a better future for themselves and their families. What better way to build a better future than by participating in our most important American right – voting.

That’s why we’ve established more than 550 Extended Stay America hotels across the country as virtual voter registration centers, where we’re providing access to voter registration resources and hotel associates will serve as voter registration ambassadors, available to answer guests’ questions and help with the process.

Employees help Register Guests

Many of the front desk employees have been trained and empowered to help with voter registration, as it varies from state to state. If the state requires a mail in ballot instead of an online only registration, they’ll even provide a stamped envelope for you to send it back. Now that’s a great service.

We want to make it easy for you to STAYcounted. Many states offer voter registration options online or via mobile device. If you’re a resident of a state that requires mail-in registration—we’ve got you covered! If you’re staying with us, we’ll provide a stamped envelope so you can easily mail in your completed voter registration form. 

There are a few states that allow the online process, you can find them below:

If you find yourself making a reservation at an ESA, you can reserve your stay AND learn about voter registration on their page here.

Why I think this is Important

Voting is a right and a privilege in this country. Not everyone has the ability to vote, but everyone is impacted by the decisions those voters make. While registering is easy and fast in many states, still people feel they’ll “get to it eventually” and just forget or get sidetracked with something else.

If more places did this, perhaps we’d see voter registration go up, and give more people a chance to use their voice.

Bravo, ESA… bravo.