With just 64 days until Election Day here in the U.S., recruiting efforts are ramping up to recruit poll workers and volunteers to keep all polling sites safe, readily open, and available for delay-free, in-person voting. And Levi Strauss & Co. Is doing its part, proudly signing on to the Civic Alliance’s Election Day of Service, which comes on the eve of National Poll Worker Recruitment Day.
Across the country, in a year when the election has the potential to attract historic turnout, officials are sounding the alarm about poll worker shortages and shuttered polling places. Elections experts have suggested that thousands of new locations will be needed this year and hundreds of thousands of new poll workers will be required to keep polling places open. Much of this is directly related to COVID-19, which requires reduced capacity at existing polling places due to social distancing. As most poll workers are over the age of 60, there is a need to recruit low-risk, healthy and more diverse individuals.
At LS&Co., we are encouraging employees to be poll workers as a premier partner of Power the Polls, and will once again offer other ways for employees to help get –out –the –vote (GOTV) in their communities leading up to and on Election Day – like participating in GOTV texting campaigns through our partnership with Rock the Vote and empowering employees to use their five hours of paid time to volunteer a month to be active citizens in their communities.
In addition, recognizing that the pandemic also requires that election officials source PPE for their polling locations, we are providing 15,000 Levi’s® face coverings to help meet the need across the country.
“The more people who vote, the stronger our country will be. We are proud to once again encourage our employees, consumers and communities to engage and be active citizens this election season – whether by providing access to voting information, giving our employees time off to vote through Time to Vote, or connecting employees to opportunities to train as poll workers,” said Chip Bergh, LS&Co. president and CEO, which is working with the Civic Alliance on several programs to promote voter engagement and turnout. “We also recognize the need to support a safe and accessible election this year and will be donating 15,000 masks for poll workers to help ensure that no one has to choose between their vote and their health.”
See the full press release here.
