By Dan Ekstein, Partner & Chief Business Development Officer
The 2024 elections are getting closer every day. For political junkies like me, we're near peak nirvana. It's an exciting time; everyone I know is talking about the candidates, the polls, the electoral college, swing states, dogs and cats, the fate of our democracy, and who plans to move where depending on the outcomes.
I'm excited about the elections, regardless of who wins. Our democracy is noisy by design, and our system of government is designed to be flexible. However, I appreciate that for others, anxiety and emotions may be high.
Over the past several weeks, I've spoken with clients and friends who work in corporations and associations and are thinking about their plans and responses to questions in the days before and after the General Elections on November 5.
After guiding clients through advocacy, civic engagement, and political action programs during the pandemic, the 2020 and 2022 elections, and the aftermath of January 6, I found a few takeaways helpful and wanted to share.
Your organization doesn't have to say anything. Particularly for publicly traded companies with consumer-facing products and services, most learned that reacting to internal and external noise is only sometimes helpful. That's not to say they should be silent. On the contrary, encouraging employees and stakeholders to vote is valuable. Educating your stakeholders about the issues and candidates important to your business is necessary. Government has a vital role in our personal and professional lives, so we should consider how to separate the two when required.
Have (go back to) your plan. Many businesses and associations that engage in politics have bolstered their governance over the past several years. Ask about, dust off, find, and review the mitigation plans your organization may have already prepared regarding how it manages political activity and complies with the rules. The plan may need updating, but hopefully, it will give you a strong sense of how to manage through the questions and comments you'll receive.
Be positive. We all have opinions about the candidates and issues important to us. If the candidate you favor doesn't win, that doesn't mean our system of government is broken. The discussions on election integrity only reinforce the strength of our system's checks and balances. Both major political party campaigns and candidates use sharp language to discuss the importance of this election and frame their opponents. It's going to get more fever-pitched in the final days.
Please remember the candidates are selling their vision to encourage voters to either plan and vote early or get up and brace for the chilly November temperatures to go to their polling stations. I may be pollyannaish, but that's the point. It's important to separate the noise from the issues that matter. Of course, there is NO justification for threats and violence.
In the early days after the elections, if winners in critical races for your organization aren't immediately apparent and if your stakeholders have questions or concerns:
Acknowledge them,
Thank them for their input, and
Direct them to resources if appropriate.
Remember, your Human Resources department is valuable for your stakeholders, offering support and reassurance. You don't have to reinvent the wheel; a quick Google search may also provide thoughtful approaches to how others decide when and how to comment.
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