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Increasing voter participation in the November elections has been a central focus for many in 2020 and corporations are stepping up in new ways to support these efforts.
To ensure workers have the time to vote, many are introducing new protocols for November 3. One example can be found in Time to Vote, an organization launched in February to encourage companies to offer "paid time off on Election Day or making it a day without meetings." So far, more than 700 companies have joined the list including Best Buy, Gap Inc, JPMorgan Chase, Lyft, Nike, Twitter and Visa.
Others are focusing on ensuring there are enough poll workers to support the election. This is a particularly significant issue as the US braces for a shortage of 250,000 poll workers, with many former poll workers choosing not to participate due to concerns about COVID-19. Research from Pew shows that 56% of US poll workers in 2016 were 61 years and older, putting the majority of past poll workers into higher-risk groups during a pandemic. To respond to this shortage, Old Navy announced, in conjunction with Tuesday's National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, that it will pay store employees who serve as poll workers for the 2020 election.
Old Navy’s commitment puts them in line with the fashion label, Tory Burch, who has also committed to giving employees a paid day off to serve as poll workers. These individual commitments build upon the more widespread movement in corporate America to give employees the day off to vote.
It’s great to see such a commitment to civic engagement. We hope you will join the movement on a personal level. Make sure you’re ready to vote or sign up to be a poll worker!
***Breaking Good won’t be arriving in your inbox next Friday as our team takes a step back to recharge over the Labor Day holiday. Enjoy the holiday weekend and we’ll see you on the 11th! |
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