Tuesday, September 1, marks National Poll Worker Recruitment Day, and the United States faces a shortage of 250,000 poll workers for the 2020 election as many at-risk people choose not to work this year due to health concerns. in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
To involve field employees across the country in the voting process and ensure polling sites run efficiently this year, Old Navy announced that it will pay store employees who wish to work at the polls on the day of the elections in November. The retailer is working with the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition of companies that encourages voter participation, and Power the Polls, a nonpartisan initiative to recruit poll workers for the 2020 U.S. Presidential elections to ensure a safe and fair choice for all. voters. The Civic Alliance is leading all corporate partnerships for Power the Polls in a national effort to recruit a new wave of poll workers.
Old Navy field employees will need to apply to join Power the Polls through internal communication channels. Once the application is complete, Power the Polls will connect people with their local counties to continue the process. Poll workers are ultimately selected by the election commissioner in each county, based on the needs of their jurisdiction.
Old Navy says it will compensate associates who serve as poll workers with one payday, regardless of whether they are scheduled to work Tuesday, November 3. It does not conflict with the wages paid by Old Navy. (Local jurisdictions often pay poll workers a stipend through a participation check. In some cases, poll work may be voluntary and unpaid).
Old Navy says all employees can run to serve as poll workers in their communities, but pay coverage is only available to hourly employees at the store, not employees on the corporate side of the company. The retailer also offers shift coverage on Election Day for store employees who are unable or unwilling to work at the polling places but still need time to vote. Store managers will be instructed to work with their teams to provide up to three hours of paid time off on Election Day to allow employees to cast their votes in person. And the company says November 3 will be designated as a “non-meeting day” for employees working in corporate functions to provide flexibility to vote in person and / or serve locally, as best fits their schedules.
As a company, we believe that participating in the democratic process is an important right and we are committed to removing barriers so that employees do not have to choose between serving or voting and working, such an old Navy spokesman have said.
According to Power the Polls, the majority of poll workers in the United States are over 60 years old. But that demographic is also at a much higher risk of serious health problems if they contract COVID-19. To mitigate that problem, Power Poll is focusing on hiring healthy, low-risk candidates without pre-existing conditions to ensure that employees who are susceptible to the worst effects of coronovirus , The place to take care of their health. Keep polling places open for in-person voting.
Old Navy says it wanted to involve its field employees, and about 64% of the garment vendor’s field employees are between the ages of 18 and 29. At the same time, this is also the segment of the population with the lowest voter turnout. Therefore, Power the Polls hopes to better engage this demographic, especially to become more involved in the electoral process than in previous years.
