Oportun commits to increasing voter registration and turnout
Will celebrate National Voter Registration Day by registering voters in its network of retail locations;
makes Election Day a paid holiday/day of civic engagement for all U.S. employees;
working with election officials to leverage retail locations as polling or ballot drop-off locations
SAN CARLOS, CALIFORNIA, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oportun (Nasdaq: OPRT) today announced three initiatives to help drive voter registration and participation in the November 3 elections.
On September 22, 2020, Oportun will celebrate by joining an extensive cross-country effort to register voters prior to Election Day (November 3rd, 2020). In all of the company’s 330 retail locations, customers will be encouraged to register to vote, if they are eligible and asked to actively encourage their friends and family to also register. The company will also leverage its social media platforms to support #NationalVoterRegistrationDay and will be continuously encouraging all customers to register ahead of state deadlines. It will also raise awareness of the need to complete the Census ahead of the September 30, 2020 deadline and to make sure their communities are accurately counted.
Oportun also announced that it is making Election Day this year a paid holiday for all U.S. employees. Many of the company's employees live in the communities it serves and have expressed their interest in becoming involved in addressing obstacles that prevent low-and-moderate income (LMI) citizens from voting, including a lack of polling places. Providing the day off as a paid holiday gives every eligible employee sufficient time to vote, regardless of how long they may have to stand in line. Because many of its employees will likely cast their ballots early, Oportun is also encouraging all employees to use the rest of the day to otherwise engage in civic projects that move them, including volunteering and driving senior citizens to the polls.
Finally, the company announced that it is actively working with state and local officials to leverage its network of retail locations, all of which are in LMI communities, to be utilized as polling stations, ballot drop-off locations or any other purpose that local officials deem to be additive to increase voter turnout.
“Oportun is committed to helping improve the communities that we serve through civic engagement, and this year, the most important thing we can do is ensure that everyone is counted in the Census and that their voices are heard, loud and clear, on Election Day,” said Raul Vazquez, CEO of Oportun.
Since 2006, Oportun has invested more than $9 billion in traditionally underserved communities in the form of 3.8 million affordable loans that have helped more than 860,000 people build a credit score and advance towards the financial mainstream.
Oportun was recently named one of the Bay Area’s top workplaces for 2020 by the Bay Area News Group, as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2020, recognized as the Best Consumer Lending Product at the FinTech Breakthrough Awards, and named a Time magazine Genius Company as one of 50 businesses inventing the future.
About Oportun
Oportun (Nasdaq: OPRT) is a mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Oportun provides inclusive, affordable financial services powered by a deep, data-driven understanding of its customers and advanced proprietary technology. By lending money to hardworking, low-to-moderate-income individuals, Oportun helps them move forward in their lives, demonstrate their creditworthiness, and establish the credit history they need to access new opportunities. Oportun serves customers in English and Spanish, online and over the phone in 29 states, and in-person at more than 330 retail locations across 9 of those states.
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