Patagonia closes stores on election day, encouraging employees & public to vote

Companies across the country are giving their employees election day off. It is all part of a movement called “Take Election Day Off.” Hundreds of tech companies have joined in giving their employees the day off and now so has Patagnoia.

Patagonia is an outdoor apparel and equipment company, based out of Ventura. If you go shopping in its stores during election season you will find more than its signature thermals and snow jackets, you will also find voter information.

“We wanted to explain to all of our customers that these are planetary issues. They are issues that effect all of us, all of our children and all of their children,” said Patagonia’s VP of Public Engagement Rick Ridgeway.

This year Patagonia is running a campaign called “Vote Our Planet.”

“You know we are in the business of outdoor apparel and clothes and as outdoor sports people ourselves we have witnessed in our own lifetime the degradation of our planet, our environment so that is why the company is really in the business of environmental protection,” said Ridgeway.

Besides providing its customers with knowledge on measures and props that impact the planet. Patagonia is also taking things one-step further and giving all its employees a paid day off on election day so they can get out and vote.

“We are closing our offices in Ventura. We are closing our retail stores across the country. We are closing our distribution center in Reno, Nevada and we are encouraging all of employees to get out and vote and to encourage other people to get out and vote for the environment and vote for our planet,” said Ridgeway.

Patagonia employees we talked to say that is exactly what they plan to do with their day off.

“I am going to be going to the polls and voting and making sure everything counts,” said Rene Sellers.

“On election day I am going to be volunteering with SOAR and getting out the Yes on C, no on F message out,” said Patagonia employee Sam Murch.

Patagonia has run nonpartisan environmental campaigns for big election seasons since 2004, but this is the first time they have closed all its stores and given all of its employees election day off.