Why Should You Help Your Employees Vote In The Primary Elections
Why?
Why should you help your employees to cast their votes in all of the loud-mouthed, self-centered and occasionally intelligent primary elections?
Why is it your job? They can vote on their own time. Why should a business owner even get involved?
Because you can. Yes, you. Voting is important in our country, yet in the primaries, about half of the registered voters vote. Some are independents and can’t vote in a party primary, but many of the non-voters are turned off by the whole hub-bub or disagree with all of the candidates or the system. Many do not vote because of shorter poll times created in an attempt to reduce voter turnout.
Back to you–In my very limited, private poll of calling a handful of glass shop owners, four out of five said they would vote. But four out of five also said they would not help their employees by adjusting schedules. If more people made a commitment to vote, in either party, then they would read the newspapers, or a political blog, or watch the evening news. That benefits everyone.
It doesn’t matter what state you are in except Iowa and here in New Hampshire, where we have already voted. Meet with your employees and promise them you will set their schedule so they can vote. If you have an out-of-town job scheduled, urge your team to get absentee ballots. For people who can’t vote because of child-care or parent care, give a few minutes at lunch time. Let them come in late or leave a little early.
What? This may cost you a few payroll dollars? This is the cost of having a free enterprise economy in America. Your employees will be proud of you for supporting America, in whichever party they vote in.
Don’t push one party over another. All you will do is upset the people who disagree with you. Don’t place political signs in your store front or on your trucks. You will find that some customers won’t want to give you their money.
Keep politics out of your company, except, of course, urging your employees to vote for their candidate of choice.