Patagonia giving all US employees paid time off to vote early and volunteer in 2024 election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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VENTURA, Calif. - Patagonia has been asking its community to vote the planet since the 1970s, and it has given employees Election Day off in the United States since 2016.

This year, the outdoor apparel company with more than 2,000 employees in the U.S. will close its stores, warehouse and offices on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, which is national Vote Early Day. Employees will receive a paid day off and have the entire day to vote early and volunteer. The company is calling it Vote Early and Volunteer Day.

Democracy experts and advocates agree that voting early, either in-person or by mail, allows voters to avoid long lines and provides ample time to correct any problems with voter registration status.Republicans, Democrats and nonpartisan advocates are pushing voters to vote early because it's an important way to improve voter turnout and ensure free and fair elections.

"For Patagonia, voting is a priority because democratic participation creates the foundation for progress on every issue we care about," said Corley Kenna, vice president of communications and public policy at Patagonia. "To save our planet from the climate and nature crisis, we have to elect leaders who share our sense of urgency."

In addition to ensuring employees have the time they need to vote by shutting down the company on Vote Early Day, employees will also have increased options for volunteer opportunities. Patagonia is partnering with the League of Conservation Votersthis year to provide opportunities for its employees and the community to volunteer to knock on voters' doors and write letters to low-propensity voters, as well as call and text voters to encourage them to vote, and to provide voters with resources to learn where the candidates stand on environmental issues. The company is also working with Vote Early Day, Protect Our Wintersand the Civic Allianceto rally the outdoor sports and business communities around the importance of voting and volunteering in this fall's election.

45 Years of Election Engagement

The first election Patagonia engaged in was in 1978. It launched Vote the Environment in 2004 to mobilize America's outdoor sports community to vote. The company closed its stores, offices and warehouse on Election Day for the first time in 2016, and in 2018, it launched Time to Vote with Levi Strauss & Co. and PayPal. To this day, Time to Vote includes more than 2,000 companies that have pledged that workers won't have to choose between voting and earning a paycheck.

About Patagonia

We're in business to save our home planet. Founded by Yvon Chouinard in 1973, Patagonia is an outdoor apparel company based in Ventura, California. As a certified B Corporation and a founding member of 1% For the Planet, the company is recognized internationally for its product quality and environmental activism, as well as its contributions of more than $230 million to environmental organizations. Its unique ownership structure reflects that Earth is its only shareholder: Profits not reinvested back into the business are paid as dividends to protect the planet.

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