At Levi Strauss & Co., we believe that there’s no better way to make yourself heard than casting your vote for the candidates and causes you care about.
Earlier this year, we launched our voter engagement efforts with employees and kicked off our work to rally the business community to encourage participation in civic engagement. In recognition of National Voter Registration Day today and just 42 days until the election, we wanted to share some progress on those efforts.
While Levi Strauss & Co. voter engagement programs and activations may look a bit different due to COVID-19, our goal and objectives for 2020 remain the same – to help ensure broad participation in the general election in November.
Employees Are Rallying
LS&Co. always offer five hours of paid time off to volunteer a month, but we’re ramping that up on Election Day. As the country faces a poll worker shortage due to COVID-19, corporate and retail employees are encouraged to volunteer at their polling locations and will get up to eight hours of paid time off to do so. As a founding partner of Power the Polls, more than 100 employees have signed up to volunteer so far and we are doing some final pushes to help ensure polling locations are staffed across the country.
And to make sure employees understand what’s on their ballot and all their options to vote early and safely, we’re encouraging employees to make their voting plans and attend nonpartisan ballot education workshops through our nonprofit partner, IGNITE.
1,000+ Companies Have Joined Time to Vote
This year, more than 1,000 companies have joined Time to Vote, committing to give their employees the time they need to vote on Election Day. One of the top reasons eligible voters give for not casting their ballot on time is scheduling or work conflicts. Time to Vote aims to reduce barriers to the polls and provide employers with the tools and resources to encourage employees to participate in their elections. Join us.
Nonprofits Are Reaching Voters Across the Country
LS&Co. and the Levi Strauss Foundation are providing more than $2.6 million to organizations across the U.S. who are working to remove barriers and improve access to the polls, mobilize voters in marginalized communities, and engage young voters in the democratic process. Organizations like Black Futures Lab, Florida Rights Restoration, Justice for Migrant Women, and She the People are hard at work to register voters who are often left out of the democratic process.
Levi’s ® Uses its Platform for Good
When it comes to driving lasting change, there’s no action as powerful as casting a vote. The Levi’s® brand has teamed up with Rock the Vote to educate and make sure consumers are vote ready, and is offering its Instagram platform to activists and nonprofit leaders to share how they’re helping to get out the vote this fall. Be sure to check out this PSA that activists, scholars and friends put together with Levi’s® to inspire action and drive change. Not only do we talk, post and organize about it, we use our voice to #VoteAboutIt.
Not sure if you’re registered? Check your registration status, update your address, or encourage your friends and family to register here.
