Patagonia Giving All Employees PTO To Vote

Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia in 1973, and the California-based outdoor apparel company has been setting standards for company ethics ever since.

The certified B Corporation and founding member of 1% For the Planet has been recognized for its environmental activism and donations surpassing $230 million to environmental organizations. Almost ten years ago, in 2016, Patagonia began giving its U.S. employees Election Day off.

This year, over 2,000 Patagonia employees in the U.S. will have a paid day off on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024 for Vote Early Day . Patagonia is calling it "Vote Early and Volunteer Day."

The reason Patagonia is giving their employees the early voting day off is because, according to a press release sent to POWDER, "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 ."

In other words, people who may not want to bother voting due to extra hassles or issues on the actual voting day may be able to resolve these issues and cast their vote if they are proactive, and Patagonia is giving them the opportunity to do so.

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

Besides the opportunity to vote, Patagonia is also partnering with the League of Conservation Voters this year to provide volunteering opportunities for its employees and the community to canvass, write letters to low-propensity voters, and reach out to voters by calling and texting to encourage more people to vote, and to provide voters with resources to learn where the candidates stand on environmental issues.

The company is also working with organizations such as Vote Early Day , Protect Our Winters (POW) and the Civic Alliance to hammer home the importance of voting within the outdoor community.

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