A group of businesses is leading a national effort to enlist a new wave of poll workers, poll locations, and health protection gear for election day.

More than 60 Civic Alliance member companies—including Starbucks, Target, Old Navy, Salesforce, Microsoft, Expedia, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, and Warby Parker—are taking concrete steps to encourage their employees or consumers to serve as poll workers.

Various member companies are also offering PPE and safe, accessible spaces for voting to local election officials.

Elections experts have suggested that thousands of new locations will be needed this year and hundreds of thousands of new poll workers will be required to keep polling places open.

Much of this is directly related to COVID-19, which requires reduced capacity at existing polling places due to social distancing and also makes unavailable many public locations that typically serve as polling places.

More than 60 Civic Alliance member companies—including Starbucks, Target, Old Navy, Salesforce, Microsoft, Expedia, Twitter, Uber, Lyft, and Warby Parker—are taking concrete steps to encourage their employees or consumers to serve as poll workers.

Various member companies are also offering PPE and safe, accessible spaces for voting to local election officials.

Elections experts have suggested that thousands of new locations will be needed this year and hundreds of thousands of new poll workers will be required to keep polling places open.

Much of this is directly related to COVID-19, which requires reduced capacity at existing polling places due to social distancing and also makes unavailable many public locations that typically serve as polling places.

Because of heightened health risks, many recent poll workers—most of whom are over the age of 60—are opting out of serving this year.

To fill the gap, Warby Parker is just one of dozens of national companies giving team members paid time off to vote and opportunities to volunteer at poll centers in their communities on and leading up to Election Day.

With senior centers, schools, and other venues not available for polling locations this year, the Civic Alliance is also connecting companies with the appropriate election officials in order to offer publicly accessible spaces for voting.

Steve Koonin, CEO of the Atlanta Hawks, says the basketball team is "grateful that we can use State Farm Arena, our incredible staff and other resources to provide a safe and secure environment for Atlanta residents to participate in this year's important election."

Through a partnership with Mission for Masks and the C19 Coalition, the Civic Alliance has also helped to match election officials in need of PPE with suppliers of masks, face shields and disposable gloves.

Levi Stress & Co is donating 15,000 masks for poll workers to help ensure that no one has to choose between their vote and their health.

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"A successful democracy is reliant on the active participation of its citizens," says Richard Lovett, Chairman and President at Creative Artists Agency, "and we, as business leaders, must take the necessary steps to ensure that voting is protected at all costs. Being able to vote without barriers, especially during this pandemic, is vital."

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