Don't Tell Employees Who to Vote For; Do Encourage Them to Vote

Politics may be a tough topic of conversation in the workplace but encouraging people to vote should not be.  The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 64% of eligible voters cast ballots in the 2004 presidential election up form 60% in 2000.  Voter registration also increased to 72% up 2 percentage points over the previous presidential election year.  Employers can provide non-partisan information to encourage employees to exercise their constitutional right.

After you have talked about the great fireworks you saw over the July 4^th weekend check out the information put together by the Society for Human Resource Management; Get Out the Vote! (GOTV) 2008.  You’ll find do’s and don’ts for employer communications, state by state voter registration deadlines and Senate, House and Gubernatorial election facts among other information.

If you’re looking for more than black and white communication visit the youth oriented Declare Yourself with video, interviews and links to related blogs.  Declare Yourself features a section with instructions on how to register to vote.  Instructions include checklists for voter eligibility and forms that can be completed, printed and mailed to the appropriate state office for processing.  

It’s your choice whether to put up posters, send email links or include a short article in an employee newsletter.  Whatever you provide helps to encourage employees participate in their democracy.