ASBC Publishes Complete Voter + Poll-worker Employer Resource Page

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In part of their ongoing voter and election advocacy campaign, the American Sustainable Business Council today unveiled a new interactive voter + poll-worker resource hub. Among the many tools available for its network will be a page for business people and citizens alike to find full voter and poll-worker information by state, including important deadlines for mail-in voting and absentee voting.

“Businesses of all sizes across industries depend on a well-functioning and engaged, democratically-legitimized government in order to thrive,” said ASBC Executive Vice President Thomas Oppel. “The federal election is a major event for democracy and we will work around the clock making sure every eligible voter has access to a safe and efficient election process.”

The ASBC has been concerned about many aspects of how this election year is unfolding – developments at the USPS, the COVID-19 health crisis and the continued voter suppression issues in the United States are all significant hurdles. More recently, poll-worker shortages are predicted this November, which could cause further delays and obstacles in the democratic voting process.

The ASBC is calling on all businesses to make voting a central theme of their sustainability strategy this year. All employees should have as much information as needed in order to have a plan of how they will vote this November. The ASBC is recommending the following four objectives as boilerplate goals for how businesses can achieve their goals:

1. Send a company-wide email by the first week of September, outlining the importance of voting as part of greater civic duty and its importance to democratic process;

2. Voluntarily give paid-time off for voting to all employees. The ASBC recommends at least two hours of paid time off, if not the full day;

3. Offer non-partisan information to all employees and stakeholder groups of voter registration and deadlines by state, all of which can be found here;

4. Offer paid time off for employees to volunteer as poll-workers in their local areas.

“Sustainability in the social and governance aspects is as much a priority for our members as the environmental aspects, and we are thrilled to support the good work of many brands and companies,” said Oppel. “It is crucial that companies prioritize voter registration, voter access and supporting poll-worker recruitment as part of their overall CSR and sustainability strategy,” said Mr. Oppel.