Thank the People Who Are Protecting Democracy

As we get ready to close our U.S. stores, offices and distribution center on Election Day, I want to thank my colleagues at Patagonia for doing their part to protect our democracy.?

We have been closing for Election Day since 2016. As a co-founder of the Time to Vote movement, Patagonia is committed to ensuring its employees don’t have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck. We’re encouraging employees who voted early or by mail to serve as nonpartisan poll workers, or by volunteering as poll watchers with reputable civic engagement groups, or by helping to get out the vote in other ways. In the face of voter intimidation and efforts to make it harder for people to vote, it's inspiring to see our coworkers, friends and fellow businesses pitch in to make the election run as smoothly as possible.?

Here are some of the ways Patagonia is supporting the midterms:??

• At least one representative from each Patagonia location nationwide is serving as a poll worker, poll watcher or in other ways.?This is done on a voluntary basis, and employees are provided paid time off.???
• Employees from Patagonia’s distribution center in Reno are fully staffing the Reno and Hug High School polling locations.??
• Patagonia recruited more than 1,500 people from its community to sign up through Power the Polls to apply to become poll workers.??
• Patagonia employees from around the U.S. sent 1,000 postcards from The Civics Center to 18-year-olds in Reno, encouraging them to register and vote.???
• Patagonia employees and their community are responsible for sending about 3,000 letters to low-propensity voters in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Texas through Vote Forward.??
• Patagonia supported Rise in mobilizing 18,000 young voters in Atlanta and 15,000 young voters in Pittsburgh.??
• Patagonia helped My School Votes engage 252 high schools to register 2,291?young voters.?
• We helped recruit more than 2,000 companies into the Time to Vote movement, which we co-founded with Levi Strauss & Co. and PayPal in 2018.?

If you lead an organization or team, please make sure your colleagues have the time they need to vote tomorrow. We should also urge patience while all?votes are counted. Our democracy is stronger when we work for it and participate in it. And speaking of working for democracy, today is Election Hero Day . Let’s thank the people who work tirelessly to ensure we all have the right to vote.?