NATIONWIDE — With less than two months until the Presidential election, Old Navy is offering incentives to employees who volunteer at their local polls.

What You Need To Know

  • Old Navy will compensate employees who volunteer as poll workers on election day with eight hours of pay

  • The company is partnering with Civic Alliance and Power the Polls to recruit 250,000 new poll workers

  • Best Buy, Twitter, Nike and Lyft are among the large companies giving employees a paid day off to vote

The popular clothing store announced that it will compensate employees who work as election judges at polling places with a full day of pay. The employees will also be eligible to receive compensation from their local jurisdiction. 

Old Navy, which boasts over 50,000 employees across its 1,000-plus stores nationwide, will also give employees three paid hours off to vote. 

“We are constantly inspired by our store teams, with their passion for community work and fostering a sense of belonging both in and outside of our store walls. Every voice in this country matters and deserves to be heard at the polls, and if we at Old Navy can be even a small part of making that process more accessible to the communities we call home, we are on board,” Nancy Green, Head of Old Navy, said in a statement.

The company is partnering with Civic Alliance and Power the Polls to recruit 250,000 new poll workers ahead of November 3. Old Navy released the announcement on September 1, which was designated as National Poll Worker Recruitment Day by the US Election Assistance Commission. 

Old Navy is hardly the only company encouraging its employees to participate in the upcoming election. In late August, Coca-Cola announced it would give all full time employees a paid day off in November in order to vote; Best Buy, Twitter, Nike and Lyft are among other corporate giants offering their employees the same incentive. 

Many of the announcements come as the United States faces a mass shortage of poll workers due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

In late July, Maryland announced they were short nearly 14,000 poll workers, prompting Governor Larry Hogan to consolidate voting centers. During Wiscon’s election in April, a shortage of poll workers left hundreds of people waiting in line hours after polls were supposed to close. 

In response, many states have implemented new measures to ensure there is an adequate amount of poll workers come election day. 

In early August, Ohio approved a resolution “authorizing county employees to serve as precinct elections officials on 11/3/2020, without loss of the employee’s regular compensation and additionally receiving the compensation paid to precinct elections officials.” 

In March, Tennessee passed legislation that lowered the age limit for poll workers from 17 to 16.

And in July, Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos issued a directive that the state “may appoint election officials who are not registered voters or residents of the town, including 16 and 17-year-olds pursuant to 17 V.S.A. 2454, if necessary, due to shortages in poll workers.”

Old Navy is hardly the only company encouraging its employees to participate in the upcoming election. In late August, Coca-Cola announced it would give all full time employees a paid day off in November in order to vote; Best Buy, Twitter, Nike and Lyft are among other corporate giants offering their employees the same incentive.