Republican megadonors Dick and Liz Uihlein, the third largest donors in this year’s US presidential election, have sought information on who employees of their company Uline will vote for in Tuesday’s vote.
A screenshot seen by the Guardian shows how employees of the privately held Wisconsin-based paper and office supplies distributor were asked to take part in a so-called anonymous survey to find out who employees voted for on November 5.
Below a photo of a blue donkey and a red elephant, the online survey says: “We’re curious – how does Uline compare to current national polls?”
While the button for employees to click indicates that the survey is anonymous, the web page also says that employees “may be asked to log in.” “This is solely to verify that you are a Uline employee and to ensure one entry per person. Your name will not be kept and your answers will remain anonymous.”
Public records show that Dick Uihlein donated nearly $80 million in the 2024 cycle to the Restoration Pac, which supports Republican candidate Donald Trump and other Republican candidates.
One employee, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said the request felt like an invasion of their privacy and people within the company were angry about it. Another said several employees had privately wondered how anonymous the survey really was. It was believed that Democrats would not answer the survey truthfully, a source close to Uline told the Guardian.
For Uline employees, there is little doubt about who their bosses want to win in this week’s elections.
The billionaire Uihleins are staunchly pro-Trump and anti-abortion and have had significant influence on local and national politics, including changes to state laws that will make it more difficult for states to pass pro-choice legislation or changes to state constitutions . of the Dobbs decision that overturned national abortion protections.
The voter survey is particularly important because Uline is headquartered in the critical swing state of Wisconsin, one of three so-called “blue wall” states seen as necessary for Kamala Harris to win the White House. While Joe Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 in the race for the White House, Trump took it in 2016, cementing his status as a swing state.
When asked whether the request for voting information could be perceived as intimidating, Liz Uihlein replied in a statement to the Guardian: “This is stupid! The survey was for fun after two years of enduring presidential elections. The results were anonymous and participation was voluntary. This is completely benign.”
Danielle Lang, senior director of voting rights at the Campaign Legal Center, said she didn’t think the request was benign.
“Employers need to know that they have to be very careful about the pressure on employees in terms of whether they vote and certainly who they vote for,” Lang said.
“Regardless of intentions, this can clearly cause anxiety for many employees,” she said. “Employees depend on employers for their livelihood.”
Federal and some state laws protect employees from voter intimidation and coercion, including by employees. Under federal law, voters who need assistance at the polling booth due to a disability can choose a so-called “assistant” under the Voting Rights Act. But those assistants may not be employers or union representatives, Lang said.
“I think this is an implicit recognition of how much power employers can have over employees and the outsized influence they can exert,” Lang said.
In Wisconsin, it is also criminal to ask someone to show them how their vote is cast.
A spokesperson declined to answer the Guardian’s question about the results of the study, which was due by October 25.
