Navigating politics and elections inside businesses probably isn’t at the top of any executive leader’s list of strategic priorities, but it should be. It’s impossible, and impractical, to expect employees to “leave politics out of the workplace” in a world that is saturated with messages and deeply divided. 

Supporting voting, voter rights and fair elections are non-partisan actions that benefit all businesses, their employees and communities. Let’s talk about why and how businesses can support voting. 

Why should businesses support voting? 

Let’s set government employers to the side for this conversation and focus on private-sector businesses and organizations. Businesses are the economic engine of every U.S. community — large, small, rural, urban and everywhere in between. To thrive, the business engine needs a stable economic environment, a skilled and engaged workforce, and representative governance that’s balanced and produces policies that are good for communities and businesses. 

States with high voter turnout tend to rank among the top states for business. Minnesota, where Beehive is based and where most of our employees live, had the highest voter turnout in the nation in 2020 with a whopping 79.96% participation (source: Minnesota Secretary of State). The state ranks number six in America’s Top States for Business and in the top five for infrastructure and quality of life. People want to live and work here, and that’s great for businesses.  

Businesses help shape the communities where they have operations and where their goods and services are marketed, sold and consumed. The ripple effect, even for small businesses, can be enormous — extending nationally and globally. When businesses support and encourage employees to vote, they’re promoting civic responsibility and advancing the business’s reputation as a responsible, engaged citizen. 

Supporting and advocating for non-partisan voter education, voting rights and fair, accessible and secure elections provides a critical opportunity for businesses to authentically live their values. Make no mistake: Employees — and increasingly, business partners, customers and communities — are watching. They expect businesses to lead with clarity and ensure organizational values guide policies, actions and strategic business decisions. 

How can businesses support voting? 

The countdown is already on for the 2024 U.S. general election on Tuesday, November 5. Focus and attention is accelerating, and early voting begins in late September. Most states have early in-person and mail-in voting, and in 2020 about 101 million ballots — 63% of all votes — were cast before election day. 

Here are steps your business can take now to activate a voting strategy. 

• Have a plan and a roadmap. Beehive has developed a business roadmap for supporting voting. View and download the roadmap at this link. 

• Access resources. We’ve also curated a list of non-partisan resources to educate and support business leaders and employees about voting, voting rights and fair elections. View and download the list at this link. 

• Join business community voting groups. Beehive is a member of MakeTimeToVote.org and ElectionDay.org, non-partisan movements — led by the business community — with a singular goal: to increase voter participation. 

• Share voter resources with your team. Share non-partisan resources like BallotReady and Vote.gov to support and empower employees to vote. BallotReady previews local ballots and helps users review candidates. Vote.gov helps employees understand the different ways they can vote, including important deadlines. 

• Give employees paid time off to vote. In national election years, Beehive offers employees up to four hours of paid volunteer time off to vote and engage in other election-related activities like writing postcards, phone banking, being an election judge, door knocking and committee participation. In non-national election years, employees get up to an hour of paid time off to vote in state and local elections. 

• Declare “meeting-free” blocks of time. Agree to avoid scheduling meetings on Election Day during the first and last two hours of the workday (or better yet — the whole day) to ensure employees who opt to vote in person have time to vote, especially if long poll lines are expected. 

• Offer incentives. Offer an incentive to employees who vote, like free breakfast or lunch for anyone wearing an “I Voted” sticker. Share employee photos on your internal and external social media channels to encourage colleagues and followers to make time to vote. 

Making voting a strategic priority is good business, inside your organization and in the marketplace. We all have a vested interest in creating a stable, sustainable and prosperous future for businesses, our people, our communities and our country. Business leaders who embrace this responsibility can build trust, strengthen their reputation and contribute to a healthier democracy that benefits everyone. 

Now is the time to activate a voting plan for your business. Download the resources included above or contact the Beehive team to help advance a plan. 

About Lisa Hannum, CEO 

Lisa Hannum is founder and CEO of Beehive Strategic Communication, a Certified B Corporation. She is a purpose-driven leader who believes in the power of communication to build better businesses for a better world. Lisa has more than 30 years of experience in brand positioning, change management, culture transformation, crisis and issues management, marketing and public relations. Her clients have included Verizon, 3M, Cargill, University of Minnesota Health and Beaumont Health. Lisa frequently speaks and writes on the business value of communication and workplace culture.