Resources to Help Businesses Support Civic Engagement for the 2024 U.S. Election

B Corps Offer Nonpartisan Resources to Counter Disinformation and Voter Apathy

Elections worldwide in 2024 will determine who fills leadership roles and influences policy decisions affecting half the global population. In the United States, the presidential election commands much of the media coverage and public attention, while down-ballot races for state and local elected positions will influence policy decisions affecting millions of Americans’ everyday lives. 

In such an important election year, U.S. civic engagement faces challenges from growing concerns about disinformation and voter disenchantment with a repeat presidential contest. Businesses can play an essential role in encouraging voter participation, helping stakeholders navigate disinformation, and protecting democratic systems and rights. Two Certified B Corporations offer timely, nonpartisan resources to help individuals and businesses encourage voter engagement. 

• ActiVote offers an app that provides nonpartisan information on civic issues and polling logistics to empower all Americans to be active, regular voters. “There is a common refrain that we hear when people talk about low voter turnout in the U.S.: ‘Voters are apathetic,’” says ActiVote Co-Founder Sara Gifford. “We have never believed that, as we haven’t met many people who do not love their families, friends, communities, and living here in the U.S.”
• NationSwell recently released Civics Inc., a report highlighting how U.S. businesses can help promote a healthy democracy. NationSwell outlines the challenges and opportunities: “The 2024 U.S. election will once again put destabilizing pressure on American political processes and institutions. We know that the moment demands more than our attention; it demands urgent action. Employers hold outsized potential to promote civic participation and protect our democracy, but for many leaders, that work feels more fraught than ever before.”

As businesses that seek to shape a more inclusive and regenerative economy, B Corps can use these resources to help stakeholders — workers, customers, business partners, and community members — be informed, active voters during the 2024 election and in future years. 

ActiVote App Aims to Help Americans Make Voting a Habit

With a mission to increase civic participation, ActiVote designed its app to help voters learn how elections are run and prepare to vote. The B Corp connects voters with unbiased information about elections and candidates they can tap into as they prepare to head to the polls. “Voting is hard, research takes time, and we have many elections in communities across the U.S. every year. So when gathering information is difficult, technology has been a proven means to solve that,” Gifford says. “Our goal is to ensure that every voter has easy access to the information they need to vote in every election — not just presidential years.”

That includes the B a Voter resource for the B Corp community, which incorporates the same principles and ideals as ActiVote’s nonpartisan voter guide. “The goal is to empower every B Corp employee, customer, family, friend, and community member to cast an informed vote in the upcoming election,” Gifford says. 

ActiVote’s B a Voter resource is designed to empower every B Corp employee, customer, family, friend, and community member to cast an informed vote in the upcoming election.

ActiVote’s 2024 Election overview provides resources and links about issues and polling information for state and local elections, which can be overshadowed in presidential years. “Every state has different laws and deadlines around voting activities. Whether it be early voting or absentee voting, it is important to know the details for your state,” Gifford says.

With misinformation running wild and trust in elections at an all-time low, ActiVote’s transparent, nonpartisan Trust in Elections resource can play an important role. This voter resource explains how election integrity is maintained by the public servants who manage our elections. “None of us want to be told what to do. We want to be given the resources to make our own choices. That’s why voting guides should be nonpartisan, clear, and available,” Gifford says. 

By increasing civic awareness and knowledge, ActiVote hopes to also help voters see the importance of showing up to vote at every election. “Research shows that if voters feel there is something to vote for, or against, that they will show up and have their voices heard,” Gifford says. “We are here to ensure that they see all of the options in front of them.”

NationSwell Report Offers a Business Framework to Promote Civic Participation and Protect Democracy

NationSwell has a mission to advance impact within its community of corporate, philanthropic, and nonprofit organizations. The B Corp identified democracy and civic engagement as priorities this year amid growing dialogue around the 2024 U.S. elections and ongoing threats to fundamental democratic principles. Its recently released Civics Inc. report provides tools and strategies companies can use to engage meaningfully with employees, customers, and the communities they support to protect democracy. Its strategic framework helps employers shape efforts around three goals: 

• Encouraging and enabling civic participation. 
• Promoting information accessibility, transparency, and quality.
• Supporting issues that protect fundamental rights and democracy.

The report was developed from the insights and experiences of business leaders and democracy experts. NationSwell’s Liesl Schnabel, Research Manager, Insights, and Nick Cericola, Vice President, Insights, highlighted elements of the report relevant to B Corps and other purpose-minded companies, including smaller businesses that may have limited resources or experience when it comes to civic engagement. 

Civic participation can take many forms, but making it easy for employees to vote is an essential first step. “Ideally, that means providing paid time off for workers to cast their ballot, but for smaller companies or those with many hourly workers, dedicating a full day off can be difficult,” Cericola says. “Those organizations can often provide a few hours of paid time off, perhaps in rotations, or work with shift managers ahead of election day to make sure scheduling accommodates those who want to vote in person.”

The Civics Inc. report provides tools and strategies companies can use to engage meaningfully with employees, customers, and the communities they support to protect democracy. It includes examples from U.S. companies such as B Corp Patagonia.

Businesses can deepen their support with a broader range of civic activities, like working at polls and volunteering in the community. Some companies are starting to provide civic time off — a more flexible benefit than time to vote — and partnering with organizations like Power the Polls to support employees in becoming poll workers.

Informational resources are also low-cost and helpful, Schnabel says. Credible, nonpartisan organizations like vote.org make it easy to provide employees with free access to tools that help them register, find their polling locations, understand their ballot options, and more. NationSwell suggests these resources to help evaluate the quality of civic information: 

• FactCheck.org: A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that monitors the accuracy of political statements and election-related information.
• PolitiFact: Operated by the Poynter Institute, this resource rates the accuracy of claims made by politicians and other public figures.
• Ballotpedia: An online encyclopedia that provides detailed information about elections, candidates, and ballot measures.
• The Washington Post Fact Checker: A column that assesses the truthfulness of political statements and election-related information.
• The Brennan Center for Justice has developed extensive guidance on regulating AI-manipulated media during elections, including term definitions and policy considerations, which companies can reference in advocacy and lobbying efforts.

“Finally, no matter the size of a business, it is important to set clear expectations with employees about respectful civic discourse in the workplace,” Cericola says. “There is a lot of opportunity to foster meaningful dialogue at work, but inherent risks as well, which need to be bound by guardrails. All of these approaches are outlined in more detail in Civics Inc.”

Find tools, resources, and links in the Civics Inc. report.