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In the News
Corporations Can Prevent Another Attack on our Democracy–Here's How
As the health and resilience of our democracy takes center stage, more groups like Business for America are emerging to mobilize the business community in ensuring safe and secure elections. Whether your company decides to join as a member or engage ad hoc, these groups are providing useful resources to help you plan.
Feb 17, 2021
Trump’s corporate trouble: CEOs keep their distance from the party of business
But corporate America’s frustrations with Washington predate Mr Trump, Ms Bonk adds: “If they didn’t have to think about the political climate because it was stable, because problems were being solved, because we have predictability in our markets, they would be thrilled. But we’ve seen a failure of government to solve big problems for decades.”
Oct 30, 2020
Coca-Cola joins voter education and makes election day a paid holiday
The Coca-Cola Company is officially supporting several nonpartisan campaigns to encourage Americans to register and cast a ballot… From producing state-by-state voting guides for all U.S. employees to developing voter education resources, the company is committed to making sure everyone is informed about the election process and able to vote. Business for America’s Operation Vote Safe is working with Coca-Cola and the business community in Georgia.
Oct 29, 2020
Your Company Can Drive Civic Engagement: Here's Why Your Actions Matter
We wrapped up the 3BL Virtual Forum by speaking to leaders from both the private and nonprofit sectors to weigh in on why it’s so important to them that anyone eligible to vote in the U.S. does so. "We’re not going to make progress on climate, on racial equity, on protection of essential workers without having government policies that are aligned with those outcomes.” —Sarah Bonk, founder and CEO of Business For America
Oct 27, 2020
States are getting creative to prepare for the pandemic election
Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman said groups such as Business for America and the American Bar Association have also been on the ground this year advertising the need for poll workers. “[They’ve been] really trying to get their people to mobilize and support states…"
Oct 7, 2020
How Coca-Cola, Old Navy And Other U.S. Employers Are Encouraging Employees To Vote In The 2020 Election
[Coca-Cola] has also joined Business for America’s Operation Vote Safe, a coalition working to safeguard and secure the 2020 election by providing assistance and resources to election administrators and polling centers.
Sep 23, 2020
10 Ways 2020 Has Transformed Business Leadership
Standing up for voting rights is no longer a niche cause. During the 2018 midterm elections, some companies stepped up, yet they were the usual politically active suspects, such as Patagonia. Not this year. Groups such as Business For America are galvanizing companies to ensure all citizens have the right to vote, and they are approaching this challenge from a nonpartisan perspective.
Sep 15, 2020
Some Metro Atlanta Employers Want to Help You This Election Season
GaVotingWorks has partnered with Business for America and its Operation Vote Safe effort. Sarah Bonk said when she first had the idea to launch BFA a few years ago, it was challenging to get businesses involved. But she said their interest has grown more recently.
Sep 14, 2020
From Warby Parker to Walmart, Retailers Are Joining the Time to Vote Initiative
Retailers once limited their acknowledgment of an election cycle to “Vote” merch—if they addressed it at all. Now, a growing number of businesses are entering the conversation by encouraging higher voter turnout among their workers. Those efforts could build trust with employees, said Sarah Bonk, founder and CEO of Business for America, a corporate civic responsibility organization affiliated with Time to Vote.
Aug 24, 2020
Take your vacation days before you regret it
"As business leaders, it's our responsibility to ensure our employees are able to exercise their right to express their preference in who leads their local community, their state and our country," wrote co-founders and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, along with Business for America founder Sarah Bonk.
Aug 18, 2020
Relief for COVID-19 and democracy: Mobilize for USPS and voting support in next bill
In the midst of this maneuvering for private gain, we’re glad to see a segment of the U.S. business community speak for the public interest, with a call for Congress to provide the “necessary funding for safe voting upgrades.” But more private sector voices are needed join this chorus, with the full weight of their lobbying capacity and political muscle.
Aug 16, 2020
Athletes Believe Voting Rights Should Be a Slam Dunk. Shouldn’t Companies, Too?
Patagonia is a leading example of a company that has been very vocal about voting rights… The company is also partnering with Business for America, a nonprofit group that is pressuring the U.S. Congress to reform federal voting laws and secure the funds necessary so elections can run smoothly across the country.
Jul 28, 2020
Should Businesses Allow Voting on the Company Dime?
The nonpartisan organization Business for America… seeks to restore trust in democratic institutions. The organization has been partnering with companies to champion their employees' civic engagement, advocating for voting policy reform, and encouraging businesses to implement strategies to help increase voter turnout.
Jun 22, 2020
Patagonia, Unilever Headline Companies Urging Expanded Voting by Mail
Business for America (BFA), a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, has been the driving force behind this campaign. The group’s bottom-line argument is that a well-functioning democracy is the foundation of all U.S. citizens’ rights to justice and liberty – and BFA also argues that fair access to the voting booth is important to a competitive economy, too.
Jun 11, 2020
Hundreds of Business Leaders Call on Congress to Fund Voting by Mail and Early Voting
With an increasing sense of urgency as uncertainty around COVID-19 lingers and protests erupt around the country, hundreds of business leaders and Business for America (BFA) have signed a letter urging federal lawmakers to provide funding to states to expand voting by mail and early in-person voting for this year's elections.
Jun 10, 2020
Companies Push for More Access to Mail-In Voting
The Wall Street Journal covers Business for America's letter to Congress from over 100 companies. Unilever, Warby Parker, and others want to protect their workers from the coronavirus while ensuring they have a voice in elections. "Companies are increasingly stepping up efforts to bolster civic engagement, seeing it as an extension of corporate social-responsibility efforts, said Sarah Bonk, founder and CEO of Business for America."
Jun 3, 2020
Strengthening Representative Democracy with Sarah Bonk of Business for America
The School for Humanity podcast shines the spotlight on thought leaders making the world a better place. In this 2019 interview, BFA Founder Sarah Bonk talks about what inspired her to found Business for America, why businesses should care about democracy, and what other social entrepreneurs can learn from her experience.
May 20, 2020
Growing Coalition of Companies Reignites Efforts to Get US Voters to the Polls
As Sarah Bonk, founder of Business for America, told Sustainable Brands: “More and more, purpose-driven companies are recognizing that that they cannot achieve their ESG goals when our democracy is not functioning well or delivering solutions to voters."
Jan 27, 2020
Advocacy Groups Push Senate to Include Election Security Money in Funding Bill
A group of advocacy organizations are pushing the Senate to include election security funds in the upcoming continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government.
Nov 12, 2019
Colorado Business Roundtable podcast: Connect & Collaborate
Colorado Business Roundtable daily radio show/podcast Connect & Collaborate - Host Alex Hopkins talks with Founder Sarah Bonk and Policy Director Richard Eidlin about Business for America, why healthy representative democracy is good for business, and how the business community can get involved.
Jun 9, 2019
All Together Now on Progressive Radio Network
Host Eleanor LeCain discusses engaging business to strengthen our representative democracy with Sarah Bonk, who left her career at Apple to found Business for America.
May 9, 2019
Five Bellwether Moments from the ‘Unrig the System’ Reformers Convention
One of the best-attended panel discussions Saturday was led by a former Apple executive, Sarah Bonk, now working full time to sell the notion that the influence which corporate interests have over the government will only be weakened if a critical mass of American businesses conclude it's in their best interests.
Apr 1, 2019
Articles & Op-Eds
Redistricting reform is good for business and employees
By letting elected officials draw the boundaries of their own legislative districts, partisan gerrymandering results in a system that drives out moderation and compromise, elevates the most extreme voices from both parties and leaves too many voters without a real choice on the ballot. We need a political system that responds to the needs of its citizens, and ending gerrymandering is essential to achieve this.
Oct 14, 2020
In the 2020 election, PA business leaders are getting out the vote
Operation Vote Safe, launched earlier this year under the umbrella of the nonpartisan nationwide nonprofit Business for America (BFA), is mobilizing business leaders to support a safe and secure election during the pandemic. Participating businesses, large and small, make pledges like donating PPE and other equipment needed to ready the polls this year, helping recruit poll workers, lending their facilities, or educating their communities about the election.
Oct 13, 2020
Outdoor brands work to keep voters safe in November
Answering a call from Operation Vote Safe, a nationwide campaign led by the nonprofit Business for America (BFA), companies like REI, Patagonia, and Outdoor Research have donated time, technological expertise, and thousands of units of PPE to polling places across the country. The donations will help ensure the safety of voters and poll workers so that, as BFA founder and CEO Sarah Bonk said, "no one needs to choose between their health and their vote."
Sep 30, 2020
Pairing the Business Case with the Civics Case for a USPS Rescue
Sometimes, for-profit and not-for-profit actors have different perspectives on public issues. Not this time. Prompt, reliable delivery of our nation's mail during the coronavirus pandemic — and throughout an election season where absentee voting has already started — is in everyone's best interest.
Sep 14, 2020
'Operation Vote Safe' effort raises money, PPE for poll workers
A national organization is galvanizing businesses in the effort to ensure a safe Election Day for in person voters, as well as raising money and PPE donations for poll workers.
Sep 14, 2020
17 Ways Companies Can Help Americans Vote Safely
As private companies take a greater role in elections and voter engagement, an issue brief from the Center for American Progress and Business for America outlines 17 ways that the business community can help boost voter turnout and ensure that Americans can vote safely during the pandemic.
Sep 9, 2020
Our Election Is at Risk. Businesses Can Help.
If the election process is chaotic and voters are unable to vote, the entire election’s results could be called into question. Business for America is mobilizing businesses to help the 2020 election go smoothly. With businesses, government, and communities working in tandem, there is every reason to believe that this year’s unprecedented election can still be one that restores America’s faith in democracy.
Aug 20, 2020
U.S. Business Leaders Defend Voting Rights
BFA has made a solid, bottom line case for corporate leaders to step up and ensure that their employees can exercise their voting rights and participate in the General Election on November 3, including voting by mail, regardless of their political affiliation.
Aug 19, 2020
Founders of Warby Parker and Business for America: Give your employees paid time off to vote
We're asking business leaders across America to join us in ensuring all employees are able to exercise their right to vote and have the proper tools and means necessary to do so. We have a responsibility to preserve the system of democratic governance that allowed us to dream big and start our own enterprises in this country.
Aug 16, 2020
Voting by Mail Is Good for Business
For most businesspeople, voting by mail is not a partisan issue. It is the best chance to protect the health and voices of our employees on Election Day.
Apr 18, 2020
The Business Case for Voting by Mail
Business understands that a successful and competitive economy requires strong democratic institutions — and elections — which must remain resilient in the face of this current public health crisis.
Apr 12, 2020
The New Opportunity in Corporate Citizenship: Corporate Civic Responsibility
"But ask anyone whether they think the current level of polarization in our politics and the gridlock it creates in Washington is sustainable and most will say that it is not. Just as our natural world is under threat, our civic world is under threat too. It’s hard to see how a business that takes social responsibility seriously shouldn’t also be concerned about the health of our democracy, our politics, and our civic life."
Jun 1, 2019
Opinion: Why Well-run Elections Are a Business Issue
Chris Jacobs, CEO of Communally in the Philadelphia Business Journal: "The longer we wait to implement these common-sense solutions, the more our reputation and self-image will suffer — both outside Pennsylvania and here in the Keystone State, where some residents and businesses are becoming so disenchanted that they are reluctant to start new business ventures, run for office or, sadly, even vote. This lack of confidence can prove harmful to Pennsylvania’s economy."
Apr 29, 2019
Democracy Is Good for Business
BFA Board Member Matt Douglass: "As business leaders… we should all be able to recognize is that for America to thrive and innovate in an increasingly competitive global economy, we need strong, uncorrupted, fairly regulated markets. To reach that ideal, we must first protect and strengthen the democratic foundations of our elections. I invite every business leader across the nation to join me in fighting for a more democratic democracy for all Americans…"
Mar 12, 2019
How Business Can Strengthen Democracy in the U.S.
Ecos CEO and BFA member Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks: "For the business community, preserving democracy is more than a matter of principle – it's an urgent economic priority. An unstable political system distracts from other challenges facing our country, hinders economic progress and competitiveness, and damages the very fabric of our society."
Mar 1, 2019
Press Releases
December 28, 2020
Operation Vote Safe Continues to Support Georgia Runoffs
November 26, 2020
Business for America Unites with National Congress of American Indians’ Native Vote Efforts to Support 2020 Election
October 28, 2020
All Hands on Deck: ECOS Donates Disinfectant Cleaner to Elections Offices throughout Washington State
September 29, 2020
Outdoor Research partners with nonpartisan Business For America to promote a safe and secure 2020 election
September 29, 2020
Business For America Launches Online Map to Streamline Donations to Support 2020 Election