Business Supporting Voter Rights and Participation (email template fro...

A letter on behalf of Jared Meyers.

Hello friends,
This November, all eligible Americans will have the opportunity to vote. We at Legacy Vacation Resorts (LVR)
value civic engagement, as it not only aligns with our values, but it encourages a representative and inclusive community and a healthy democracy.

As you may have noticed over the past few years, my company LVR has intensified its practices as a responsible business through our achievement of B Corp Certification and the launch of various initiatives that promote inclusion, regeneration, transparency, accountability and equity. To meet these goals, we utilize our cofounded networks of Florida for Good and B Tourism   to help employees and employers across the state and in travel and tourism. To us, it is essential that our employers and stakeholders feel heard and can vote safely and securely. We want to ensure that those of you who are interested in voting this year can, and we are pleased to remind you of our time to vote policy.

On November 8th, employees nationwide will have the opportunity to vote in the midterms, which include electing all 435 seats for the House of Representatives, 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate, governors in 36 states, legislators in 88 of the country’s 99 state legislative chambers, and hundreds of other local races. We encourage all employees to visit TurboVote.org to confirm their voter registration status, receive registration and election reminders, and request help registering to vote as needed.

Are You Helping Your Employees Vote Safely and Securely?

The call has never been greater for business leaders to show their capacity for humanity and to engage their employees in the voting process.  When businesses fail to proactively make accommodations for their employee voting, employees feel disengaged, devalued, and disinterested, which stands in the way of your success and that of our economy.

At LVR, we are educating our employees on the importance of voting and providing them with paid time off to vote early or in person.  We recommend early voting as the best option because it offers faster lines, smaller crowds, and helps reduce wait times for others on Election Day.  For those with health concerns, childcare, or other obstacles to voting in person, we recommend mail-in voting.

We have invested considerable time identifying partners and practices to help our employees participate in the democratic process and we wanted to share our best practices with you to simplify your efforts.

HERE  is a sample survey that you can use as a template to determine your employee civic responsibility baseline.  The results of the survey will help you identify the areas that require additional focus.

Additionally, we are proud members of the Time to Vote   (“TTV”) initiative and recommend that you do the same. TTV is a nonpartisan coalition of US companies representing 2.7 million workers to address voting barriers and increase voter participation. This business-led initiative is unaffiliated with any one specific NGO or other independent party, non-prescriptive and completely free to join for any company interested. Some of the participating companies include: Best Buy, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Farmers Insurance, Gap Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Kaiser Permanente, Levi Strauss & Co., Lyft, PayPal, Patagonia, REI Co-op, Target, VF Corporation, Walmart, and Warby Parker.

We cannot unify our country or employees when our policies, practices, and norms mute their voice and block their participation.  With your help, we can collectively exhibit the leadership qualities our employees and civil society deserve.  Please join me and co-lead these efforts by adopting similar policies and partnerships for the upcoming election.

Florida Voting Dates to Remember
October 11, 2022                           Voter Registration   Deadline
October 29- November 5, 2022    Early Voting
October 29, 2022                           Deadline to Request an Absentee Ballot 
November 8, 2022                         Deadline to Return Completed Absentee Ballot
November 8, 2022                         Election Day

Thank you for your time and please let us know if you have found this information helpful.

For democracy,
Jared Meyers