4 Actions for Business Leaders to Protect Democracy

At the Leadership Now Project, we recognize it’s not enough to just understand our democracy, we must work together to protect, advance, and improve it. Our Corporate Civic Engagement Best Practice Guide below has the data, inspirational success stories, and resources you need to make an impact at your organization.

And we are here to help! Reach out any time for questions or additional information.

Encourage Civic Engagement

Advocating for democracy and mobilizing employee stakeholders to become civically engaged is a key recommendation.

Offer Employees PTO to Vote & Work Polls

It’s becoming the new norm to offer paid time off for employees to both vote and work polling places.

Old Navy ran a great get out the vote campaign in 2020. They provided three paid hours to vote, established a “no meetings” day to increase scheduling flexibility on Election Day, and offered up to eight hours of PTO to any of the 50K employees who wanted to volunteer at the polls.

The impact of the campaign was huge! The brand contributed to thousands of hours of polling support, received the “Benefit of the Year” award from HR Dive, obtained two billion earned media impressions, and had more brand buzz on social media than ever before in a single day!

Additional Resources

Check out the Corporate Civic Playbook from our partners at Civic Alliance, or their 2024 Election Toolkit to boost awareness and civic participation within your company.

Visit Power the Polls to help your employees find volunteer opportunities at the polls.

Sign the Time to Vote pledge to ensure your employees will be given time to do their civic duty.

For messaging guidance use the Business & Democracy Initiative’s Communications Guidance: Mitigating Risks for a Stable Economy.

Support Democracy Legislation & Secure Elections

Take a Public and Private Stand for Voting Rights

It’s important that companies advocate for/against policies based on their corporate mission and values.

That’s what American Airlines did in the last Texas state legislative session. They let their voice be heard through official lobbying activities and in public media against Texas’ restrictive voting bill SB1. Due to efforts from companies like them, the most problematic aspects of the bill were removed.

Support Safe and Secure Elections

There has been a significant amount of misinformation regarding the previous Presidential election. Campaigns that call into question the security of mail-in ballots are unfounded and create mistrust in the system.

In fact, voting fraud is extremely rare in the US, and voting by mail is no exception. In the past 20 years, more than 250,000,000 votes have been cast by mail, roughly 25% of all votes in the last 5 elections. Despite these large numbers, there have been only 1,290 proven cases of voter fraud, according to data from the Heritage Foundation.

You can utilize your platform as a business leader to make public statements in support of the safety and security of this election by providing employees with the key facts and figures to counteract misinformation. 

Additional Resources

Visit Democracy for President to get resources on how to talk about election integrity in a nonpartisan, non-polarizing way.

Contact us to discuss opportunities in your state.

Reduce PAC Contributions to Election Objectors

Corporate Political Action Committees (PACs) are organizations that campaign for specific policies and fund specific candidates. After the January 6 insurrection, there is more focus on where companies are spending their PAC money to help ensure it’s going to democracy defenders. In fact, corporate contributions to election objectors decreased 60% in 2021.

Dell and Microsoft both adjusted their PAC spending to pull from politicians who voted against the certification of the 2020 election. Dell withdrew all funds to election objectors to align with their four PAC guidelines for contributions:

• impact on Dell brand

• impact on key constituencies

• ramifications of policy makers

• ESG sentiment of employees

Additionally Microsoft redirected spending away from election objectors towards organizations that support campaign finance reform, political transparency, and voting rights.

Resources

View the CPA-Zicklin Model Code of Conduct for Corporate Political Spending.

Raise Awareness of Political Instability Risk for Businesses

Our research at Leadership Now Project shows that successful economies need stable institutions and governments. Volatility, including contested elections and violent protests, put businesses at risk.

We’ve created this Executive Perspective on Business and Democracy Risk for you to share with your employees, peers, and networks. If you’re interested in learning more or getting involved in Leadership Now Project, contact us.