With the 2024 election on the horizon, companies are uniquely positioned to foster civic participation among their workforce. Many employees view their employers as trustworthy sources of information, often more so than government entities. This perception creates an opportunity for businesses to promote voter engagement through targeted “Get Out the Vote” (GOTV) campaigns. By leveraging this trust, organizations can play a vital role in encouraging their staff to actively participate in the democratic process.
Prioritizing GOTV initiatives has strategic benefits for both the organization and its employees, including the following:
Galvanizing Trust
The 2024 Edelman Trust Barometer, an annual survey that has measured global trust for over two decades, indicates that Americans place a higher level of confidence in their employers than in other institutions. For example, only 40% of surveyed Americans trust government entities, while 53% of Americans trust businesses. This significant employer-employee trust dynamic takes on added importance as election season approaches.
In an era of information overload and uncertainty, voters are seeking dependable, unbiased information. Companies can fill this need by offering non-partisan resources and encouraging their workforce to vote. By leveraging their trusted status, businesses can play a constructive role in fostering informed civic engagement without pushing partisan agendas.
Supporting Civic Engagement
Pretending the election isn’t happening will not prevent it from affecting your business and your employees. Elections at all levels—from national to local—have far-reaching effects that inevitably touch both companies and their workers. The outcomes of these elections, shaped by those who participate and those who don’t, will influence both business and daily life. By embracing nonpartisan civic engagement initiatives, companies can naturally extend their existing corporate responsibility efforts like philanthropy, community engagement, sustainability efforts, and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Promoting active citizenship through nonpartisan means allows organizations to reinforce their values and societal contributions in a way that aligns with and strengthens their current social responsibility framework.
According to a Glassdoor survey, most Americans (61%) said they’ve had workplace discussions about politics in the last year. This trend is coupled with a growing expectation for corporate leadership to address social issues, with 62% of respondents in the Edelman survey expressing this sentiment. The 2024 election cycle is particularly consequential, with voters set to decide on a wide array of offices at various levels of government, from the presidency to a third of all Senate seats to over 5,000 state legislative positions across 44 states.
Given the scope and potential impact of these elections, there is a pressing need to disseminate accurate, impartial information to the widest possible audience. Companies can leverage their trusted position to play a crucial role in this information-sharing process, helping to foster a more informed electorate by hosting town halls for candidates of both parties to let employees ask questions and get more information.
Meeting Expectations
Ignoring political happenings may have been the accepted “polite” corporate response of the past, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that avoiding engaging with employees about voting and politics is a competitive disadvantage. Research by the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan business coalition focused on civic participation, revealed multiple benefits for companies that promote civic engagement, like instilling a sense of purpose in those who participate and significantly boosting employee engagement.
Companies implementing these strategies have also reported robust financial performance, increased customer loyalty, and positive impacts on their local communities. These outcomes suggest that promoting civic participation can create a virtuous cycle, benefiting the company, its workforce, and the broader society in which it operates.
The bottom line is that GOTV initiatives are no longer a nice-to-have in the workplace; they’re becoming table stakes for modern organizations.
Tips for Launching Successful GOTV Initiatives
Effective GOTV initiatives begin with recognizing how elections affect your organization’s stakeholders and understanding your company’s part in promoting informed participation.
Consider these strategies for a successful program:
- Begin preparations well in advance of election day.
- Utilize internal communication platforms (company messaging apps, newsletters, regular meetings) to raise awareness.
- Partner with neutral civic organizations for reliable resources and guidance.
- Ensure your messaging matches up with and reinforces your established company values.
- Leverage key dates in the election calendar—such as primary elections, party conventions, and voter registration drives—to boost engagement.
- Clearly communicate that your initiative’s goal is to encourage overall voter participation, not to endorse specific candidates or political viewpoints.
Implementing these approaches can create a robust program that empowers your employees to participate in the democratic process while maintaining organizational neutrality.
Basic Best Practices
GOTV efforts don’t have to be complicated, resource-heavy endeavors. Focus on just a few basic, critical elements to build a strong foundation you can build on later if you have the capacity.
- Show executive buy-in with a message of advocacy from the C-suite. For example, get your CEO to send a company-wide note urging employees to vote and align that initiative with an existing company value. A little top-down encouragement can go a long way.
- Provide participation information in a centralized location. Don’t make your employees go on a hunt to get the voter education they need. Instead, offer a way to access info like voter registration/status, polling place locations, and candidate/ballot initiatives in a streamlined location to make the path to voting as smooth as possible. This hub of information will solidify your organization as trustworthy and informative.
- Leverage continuous employee communications. By providing timely reminders via email about significant dates such as registration deadlines, primary elections, and the general election, you build trust with your employees and demonstrate your commitment to supporting their civic participation. Offering comprehensive information about the multiple ways to cast a ballot, like early voting or voting by mail, empowers your employees to choose the voting method that best suits their circumstances.
Beyond Basics
If you’ve established the above three best practices and want to take your GOTV initiatives to the next level, consider the following to help maximize voter turnout:
- Make voting easy with time off. This tactic is growing in popularity as over 2,000 organizations across the U.S., including big names like Google and Coca-Cola, are part of Time To Vote, a “nonpartisan movement, led by the business community, to contribute to the culture shift needed to increase voter participation in our country’s elections.”
- Provide balanced civic education. Host informational sessions featuring subject matter experts who provide objective, fact-based overviews of crucial election topics. Leveraging tactics like these can spur action and enhance voter turnouts.
Regardless of your GOTV initiatives’ extent, the primary objective remains consistent: boosting participation and engagement. Throughout the year, your employees will naturally engage in discussions about the upcoming election. Your role is to contribute to these conversations in a constructive and supportive manner, providing valuable information and resources without pushing any particular agenda.
Alex Wirth is the co-founder and CEO of Quorum, a public affairs software platform that enables organizations to get information and execute strategy all in one place. Thousands of public affairs professionals use Quorum for their work in Congress, all 50 state legislatures, major cities and counties, and 30+ additional countries. Quorum serves over 2,000 customers globally, including over 50% of the Fortune 100, and has over 400 team members across the globe. The company recently acquired Capitol Canary, a market leader in grassroots advocacy software.
Alex won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for Mid-Atlantic Emerging Companies, was named by the Washingtonian as one of D.C.’s Top 100 Tech Leaders, is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, a member of The Economic Club of Washington D.C. and the Arthur W. Page Society. Alex was also named to the Washington Business Journal’s 2024 40 Under 40 list. He sits on the Government Relations Executives Council, the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, and the Board of Directors of The Public Affairs Council.