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“Many companies watched what the Georgia legislature threatened to do with Delta, or boycott Coca-Cola, and said, ‘The risk is too great,’ ” said Richard Eidlin, national policy director for Business for America, a nonprofit coalition that promotes democratic engagement by corporations. Instead, he said, they are taking the posture, “We’re just going to sign a letter about the principles of fair elections and voter access, but avoid for now getting into the specifics of particular legislation.”

“Businesses are understanding these issues better than ever before. They’re understanding the costs and the risks for their business when they don’t have election laws that support their employees,” Bonk said on Y’all-itics. “And so, their attitude towards democracy has changed.”

A corporate leader might get lost in the debates. Sarah Bonk, the CEO of Business for America, a coalition of tech executives and investors promoting civic engagement, told me that her organization is in an educational phase for corporate leaders because businesses are reluctant to step into issues like this until they “really understand it.”

Moved by the spectacle of people queuing during the primaries — and by a sense that “democracy was fraying” — corporations stepped up, said Richard Eidlin, national policy director of Business for America, which organized corporate help for election officials in 28 states.

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.

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.”

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.

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

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…"

[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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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."

A group of advocacy organizations are pushing the Senate to include election security funds in the upcoming continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government.

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.