ITHF to participate in A Day for Democracy to encourage Voter Participation

More than 90 CEOs from around the country announced that they are participating in A Day for Democracy, which was launched today. A Day for Democracy is a growing coalition, founded by CEOs and leaders of top-ranked firms in industries including finance, real estate and construction, venture capital, higher education, entertainment, hospitality and healthcare that have pledged to increase voter registration and participation of their employees.

The non-partisan initiative asks employers across the U.S. to commit to take action to give employees time off to vote, and/or to help workers register and access their right to vote – in local, state and national elections – on their terms, whether at polling locations or from the safety of their own home. They can use a responsible online platform of their choice or work with turbovote.org, a leading online service through which employees can register, receive election reminders, and obtain, if they wish to use one, a mail-in ballot.

“There is no more important or patriotic act than voting,” said Peter Palandjian, Chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation, who created the coalition. “I’ve always been troubled by routine low turnout in U.S. elections and wanted to find a way to have a positive effect on increasing voter participation. As a CEO, I recognize that I can help by removing barriers for my own employees and encouraging others to do the same. We can all do better, and this non-partisan effort is an important first step.”

Joining Palandjian in A Day for Democracy are Robert Reynolds, President and CEO of Putnam Investments; Tim Buckley, Chairman and CEO of Vanguard Group; Ronald O’Hanley, Chairman and CEO of State Street Corp.; Larry Bacow, President of Harvard University; Miceal Chamberlain, Bank of America’s Massachusetts Market President; Tom Croswell, President and CEO of Tufts Health Plan; Andrew Dreyfus, CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; James Judge, Chairman, President and CEO of Eversource; Dr. Peter Slavin, President, Massachusetts General Hospital; Linda Henry, Managing Director of The Boston Globe; Jonathan Bush, Executive Chairman at Firefly Health; and over 80 other companies including goop, Amblin Partners, Starwood Capital, Tely-vision, Bluebird Bio, Bain Capital, Bain & Co. and Wayfair Inc. The growing list of participants in the coalition, who together represent over 282,000 employees to-date, can be found on the website, www.aDayforDemocracy.com.

The U.S. has one of the lowest voter participation rates of any democracy in the world. Less than 56 percent of the U.S. voting age population cast ballots in the last presidential election, and even fewer voted during the mid-term elections in 2014. Almost every other democracy holds elections on the weekend to make it easier to vote, and many that hold them during the week designate the day as a holiday.

This year, because of the pandemic, U.S. voters face an additional, unique set of challenges. While many states are increasing voting-by-mail opportunities to accommodate these circumstances, several specific steps are required to participate, including:

• confirming voter registration and registering if necessary;
• requesting an application to vote by mail;
• receiving, completing and submitting that application;
• receiving, completing and returning on time the ballot itself.

“As a nation, we have an obligation to ensure that we reduce barriers and allow every citizen the opportunity to exercise their right to vote,” said Palandjian. “In rallying the support of employers across the country, we hope this movement will continue beyond this year and will reinvigorate the civic engagement of our country.”

More information about A Day for Democracy and the CEO pledge can be found on the website www.aDayforDemocracy.com.