Hello, everyone. I’m Ryan Gellert, CEO of Patagonia and a member of The B Team since February 2024.

Headquartered in Ventura, California, Patagonia is a global company with a global footprint. In the biggest election year in world history — a year that will indelibly shape our stewardship of the planet for generations to come — I’m grateful for this opportunity to share a bit about our ongoing commitment to improve voter access and participation here in America.

In 1978, when their company was only five years old, Patagonia’s founders placed an ad in a local Ventura newspaper asking the community to vote in favor of candidates and ballot measures that would improve environmental protections.

The notion of an outdoor apparel company endorsing politicians was radical at the time, but it was a natural evolution for the band of surfers and rock climbers who created Patagonia and spent their free time in nature, where they witnessed climate change firsthand. To save our planet from the climate and nature crises, we must elect leaders who share our sense of urgency. Put another way, a healthy planet with thriving communities depends on a strong democracy.

In 2004, Patagonia launched its first Vote the Environment campaign to improve voter turnout amongst the outdoor sports community. Starting in 2016, we began closing our stores and offices on Election Day in the United States to provide paid time off for our employees to vote — and to make the point that the day is for voting, not shopping. We’ve also pushed for greater corporate mobilization as a co-founder of Time to Vote, a business-led coalition of more than 2,000 companies that joined together to make it as easy as possible for employees to vote.

The underlying motivations of the companies who participate in Time to Vote vary widely. We estimate Time to Vote covers 10.5 million workers. While many of those people may disagree with some of Patagonia’s stances, I’m comfortable knowing that we all work for companies committed to improving voter access. Because history shows us that when more people vote, elections are more competitive, and the most viable candidates rise up.

Also, providing time off to vote turns out to be a popular decision: The July “Pulse on America” report from Weber Shandwick found 70% of consumers and 68% of employees think employers should provide paid time off to vote.

This year, instead of closing on Election Day in the United States (November 5), we’ll give our employees a day off on October 29 for Vote Early Day. We’re closing our stores, offices and distribution center for a day to encourage our employees to vote early and volunteer with the League of Conservation Voters, and to motivate as many of our friends, family and community members to do the same.

Early voting and absentee voting is nothing new, but when the pandemic hit in 2020, U.S. election officials and NGOs began to heavily emphasize early voting and voting by mail as ways to avoid crowded places where Covid could spread. Since then, these methods have maintained popularity because they’re smart and convenient: Voters can pick a day and time during the early-voting period to cast their ballot in person or drop their ballot in the mail. As a result, experts stress that early and mail-in voting are important ways to improve voter turnout and ensure free and fair elections.

Moving Patagonia’s day-off from Election Day — which is the last day to vote — to October 29 will also allow us to connect our employees with more meaningful volunteer opportunities. Some of the volunteer activities we’ll offer include door knocking, writing letters to voters, phone banking and text banking.

Finally, it’s worth noting that employees today trust their employers more than the media or their elected officials to “do what is right.” This means employers have a greater responsibility to share accurate, unbiased information about the election with their employees. This is the first presidential election since the proliferation of artificial intelligence, and misinformation is a huge concern amongst democracy experts. The best way to combat misinformation is with the facts — who are the candidates, what are their platforms, and where, when and how can we vote? If you need a place to start, I recommend nonpartisan resources such as Time to Vote, Brennan Center for Justice, Civic Alliance, National Voter Registration Day and Vote Early Day.

Every company and leader will have to decide which approach to improving voter access and awareness feels right for their community. Every business depends on a well-functioning society — rule of law, a safety net for workers and more — to turn a profit and advance their goals. For Patagonia, we know that to save our planet, we need all levers of society — business, government, nonprofits and individuals — working together. It begins at the ballot box.

"The Catalyst" is The B Team’s monthly newsletter which showcases ways in which leaders are advocating a better way of doing business. Subscribe to receive updates.