IWBI and Power the Polls Collaborate to Offer Free Safety Education on COVID-19 for Poll Workers Across the U.S.

NEW YORK, October 19, 2020 /3BL Media/ -- The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and Power the Polls are pleased to announce a collaboration to offer evidence-based health and safety education on COVID-19 to the more than 650,000 people who have said they want to be a poll worker through Power the Polls. With the current poll worker shortage and health and safety a top priority this election, IWBI and Power the Polls are offering the training at no cost to help ensure both poll worker and voter safety while also boosting poll worker recruitment efforts. 

“Voting is one of the most important ways we can lend our voice to the future we wish to create, and this year our poll workers are tasked not just with protecting this democratic privilege but also with keeping themselves and their communities safe,” said IWBI CEO and chairman Rick Fedrizzi. “Just as we leverage our expertise to help teachers and corporate leaders implement key strategies for prevention and preparedness, resilience and recovery, we recognized the importance of arming our poll workers with these same tools and knowledge.” 

Based on science-backed health and safety recommendations produced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this content will contain actionable strategies to help poll workers, and those who are considering being a poll worker, navigate Election Day safety precautions, so that they can focus on ensuring a safe and accessible election. Beginning in early October, the health and safety content will be available across multiple media platforms, covering what pathogens are and how they impact our health, the role of personal safety and hygiene in supporting safe voting environments, and a summary of steps to prevent and minimize the spread of COVID-19.

“Public health is everyone’s responsibility. Just as we all have a role to play in electing our future leaders, we all have a role to play in keeping each other healthy and safe,” said IWBI President Rachel Gutter. “By joining forces with Power the Polls, we’re excited to lend the evidence-based strategies and education to ensure that the only thing people have to think about on election day is casting their vote.”

“More than 650,000 people have said they want to be poll workers through Power the Polls -- we are so thrilled to see such incredible energy from people who want to step up to ensure a safe and accessible election this year.” said Scott Duncombe, Co-Director of Power the Polls. “Now, with early voting upon us and November 3 around the corner, we have our eyes set on helping those who signed up get the information they need to stay safe and healthy while working the polls. We’re grateful to the International WELL Building Institute for providing important health and safety training for poll workers in the coming weeks.”

To learn more about the COVID-19 Poll Worker Training, please visit www.wellcertified.com/vote.

About the International WELL Building Institute
The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) is leading the global movement to transform our buildings, communities and organizations in ways that help people thrive. It focuses exclusively on the ways that buildings and communities, and everything in them, can improve our comfort, drive better choices, and generally enhance, not compromise, our health and wellness. WELL v2 is the most recent version of its popular WELL Building Standard (WELL), and the WELL Community Standard pilot is a district scale rating system that sets a new global benchmark for healthy communities. The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating for all facility types, focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, emergency plans and stakeholder education to address a post-COVID-19 environment now and broader health and safety-related issues into the future. IWBI mobilizes the wellness community through management of the WELL AP credential, the pursuit of applicable research, the development of educational resources, and advocacy for policies that promote health and wellness everywhere. IWBI is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate citizenship initiative, and helps companies advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the use of WELL. More information on WELL can be found here.

About Power the Polls
Power the Polls is a first-of-its-kind initiative to recruit poll workers to ensure a safe, fair election for all voters. Power the Polls was launched in June 2020 by a coalition of businesses and nonprofits, including Civic Alliance, Comedy Central, Fair Elections Center, Levi Strauss & Co, MTV, Patagonia, Pizza to the Polls, Time To Vote, Uber, and We Can Vote. The website utilizes data from Work Elections, a unique website developed by Fair Elections Center that centralizes information on poll worker requirements and links to applications for over 4,000 election jurisdictions around the country.

International WELL Building Institute, IWBI, the WELL Building Standard, WELL v2, WELL Certified, WELL AP, WELL Portfolio, WELL Portfolio Score, The WELL Conference, We Are WELL, the WELL Community Standard, WELL Health-Safety Rating, WELL Health-Safety Rated, WELL Workforce, WELL and others, and their related logos are trademarks or certification marks of International WELL Building Institute pbc in the United States and other countries.

Media contact
media@wellcertified.com
press@powerthepolls.org