Staff receive paid time off to support election activities

At Canal Alliance we recognize that advocacy and policy work is critical to lifting the barriers to success for the community we serve. Both our undocumented and documented clients benefit when their voices and opinions are heard and respected. 

As part of our civic engagement activities at Canal Alliance, we are organizing a Staff Election Days of Service Project to show the value and impact of participating in elections on policy and elected decision-makers.  

All Canal Alliance staff are encouraged to support the election process, and Canal Alliance is providing up to 8 hours of paid time for each employee for this purpose. We have identified opportunities to support Latino immigrants to engage in the electoral process during the three days of early voting from Saturday October 31^st through Monday November 2^nd, and on Election Day, Tuesday November 3.  

Opportunities for staff participation in the Election Days of Service Project include serving as a polling place observer in Marin County and staffing a pop-up ballot drop box in front of the Canal Alliance building at 91 Larkspur Street in San Rafael. For staff who prefer to volunteer from home, Canal Alliance is also offering an opportunity for online phone banking opportunity to remind voters to get out and vote. Training, technical materials, and personal protective equipment will be provided to all staff who participate. 

Participation in Staff Election Days of Service Project is encouraged, but not required. We believe that when we support the electoral process, we honor our core values of striving for justice, setting high expectations, championing immigrants, empowering through education, and respecting everyone. Our staff have the trust of the community we serve and we are making sure their voting rights are celebrated and protected.