We’re featuring stories about our voter engagement efforts every Tuesday leading up to Election Day on Nov. 6. Check back to learn more about how we’re encouraging everyone – from employees to consumers – to get informed, get involved and get out to vote.
Feeling like there’s a lot more energy around this year’s midterm elections for what would otherwise be considered a slow year for voting? We are absolutely counting on it.
There are just two weeks to go before this year’s midterm elections and we are doing everything we can to drive voter turnout. We are all about active citizenship, encouraging eligible voters to get involved in our democracy and use their vote for what matters to them.
As the Washington Post wrote this week, “in a year when interest in the midterm elections has reached a fever pitch, nonprofits that are focused on voter turnout say they’re seeing a noticeable uptick in the enthusiasm and creative approaches that many employers are using this year to get more workers to the polls.”
Here at Levi Strauss & Co., we have volunteer “voting captains” at each of our offices and distribution centers who are encouraging employees to register to vote, offering opportunities for them to volunteer to register others, and educating them on the myriad issues on statewide ballots across the country. To date, we have seen nearly 300 new employee registrations, while more than 400 others have checked or updated their registration via our online tool with Rock the Vote. Combined, this represents approximately 10 percent of our U.S. employee population.
We are also among more than 300 employers who have pledged to give employees the time off to vote this year as part of the “Time to Vote” campaign. Many employees who voted early or by mail will be out in the community on November 6, volunteering at poll booths and reminding people to vote on Election Day.
And it doesn’t stop with our employees. The Levi’s® brand is also working with Rock the Vote to help potential voters register and get Election Day information online or in select Levi’s® stores. The brand’s VOTE campaign is in full swing, spanning TV, digital, social, limited-edition product, and influencer engagement.
As the Post wrote, “in an era where chief executives are speaking out about issues like immigration, climate change and gun control, there’s a greater expectation from employees that their companies get involved with civic responsibilities.” These are some of the very issues we have spoken out on over the last few years, and we firmly believe the best way to give a voice to the issues you care about is through your vote.
As our President and CEO Chip Bergh put it in his Op-Ed for Fortune, “It’s not about party or political affiliation, it’s about participation. Whether you like the direction we’re headed now, or you want things to change—the good news is that every one of us, in our role as American voters, has the power to influence the future.”
Read the full Washington Post article.
