The Delicious Way Ben & Jerry's Is Encouraging People To Vote

The year 2020 will be remembered for a lot of things, some of which — COVID-19, murder hornets — you'd probably rather forget. Additionally, 2020 is a presidential election year, and it's also the year millions of people took to the streets to condemn racial injustice and police brutality in what might be the largest protest movement in U.S. history (via The Atlantic). Ben & Jerry's has both voting and racial justice in mind as it reintroduces a special flavor that first debuted last year. With Justice ReMix'd, the Vermont ice cream maker seeks to reform racial bias in the justice system while also getting people to the polls this November (via PR Newswire).

Justice ReMix'd is a swirl of chocolate and cinnamon ice creams with cinnamon bun dough and spicy fudge brownies packed in. Ben & Jerry's originally introduced the flavor in 2019 to benefit the Advancement Project's Free and Safe campaign, which works to end police brutality and change laws that overcriminalize people of color. This year, Ben & Jerry's is sweetening the deal by offering a free waffle cone at its shops to customers who pledge to "vote for justice," according to the company's statement.

Since its founding in 1978, Ben & Jerry's has supported quite a few political causes, from LGBTQ rights to climate change, racial justice, and fair trade. The company says many of its causes are in play in this year's elections. So Ben & Jerry's is focusing its get-out-the-vote message to the nation's younger people. "Everything they care about is on the ballot — racial justice, access to healthcare, climate change, the economy, LGBTQ rights," said Chris Miller, Ben & Jerry's head of global activism strategy.

In its recent statement, Ben & Jerry's doesn't name names when discussing how to vote. But in 2018, when the ice cream maker released another justice-flavored ice cream called Pecan Resist, it was clear who exactly Ben & Jerry's was resisting. In an Instagram post promoting the flavor, the company wrote, "We cannot be silent in the face of the President's policies that attack and attempt to roll back decades of progress on racial and gender equity, climate change, LGBTQ rights, and refugee and immigrant rights."

For the first time, Ben & Jerry's will close its shops, factories, and corporate headquarters on Election Day, November 3, to make it easier for employees to vote. Ben & Jerry's believes Election Day should be a national holiday. "People should not have to choose between their job and their civic duty, especially this year. This election is just too important." Miller said.