our economy at risk

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 6, 2023 – Today marks the two-year anniversary of the January 6th insurrection at the US Capitol. Later today, President Biden will mark the anniversary of the insurrection at an event at the White House . To mark the anniversary of January 6, Rhett Buttle, co-founder of the Business & Democracy Initiative and Principal of Public Private Strategies , released the following statement: “The January 6th insurrection was an attack not just on American democracy, but an attack on everything that American democracy supports, including our shared economic prosperity. “Business leaders — from Fortune 500 companies to Main Streets across America — understand that democracy is the foundation that grounds our economy. Political instability can raise the cost of doing business, suppress entrepreneurship, and erode the democratic systems that allow business to prosper. Powerful research from the Business & Democracy Initiative and conducted by Morning Consult shows that business leaders overwhelmingly agree that a ‘well-functioning democracy is important to a strong economy' while 81 percent of business leaders think that 'businesses should act to ensure safe and fair elections.’” “Over the past two years, business leaders have undertaken unprecedented efforts to advocate for democratic reforms that protect our democracy and our economy, and those efforts have been fruitful. Business leaders consistently expressed support for the bipartisan reform of the Electoral Count Act, which President Biden signed into law last month – a victory for democracy that will reduce the risk to upcoming presidential elections and improve the business climate for all Americans. Bipartisan leadership is essential in the efforts to safeguard our democracy. “In the new year, there is more work to do to increase the resiliency of our democracy and our economy. Business leaders remain committed to working with President Biden, Congress, and policymakers at the state and local levels to address ongoing attacks on voting rights that erode trust in our democracy and the strength of our economy.” ###

Business Leaders Support Congressional Action to Ensure Safe and Fair Elections with Reform of Electoral Count Act Research From The Business & Democracy Initiative And Morning Consult Shows 96% Of Business Leaders Overwhelmingly Agree That A “Well-Functioning Democracy Is Important To A Strong Economy” WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, the U.S. Congress passed bipartisan legislation to reform the Electoral Count Act (ECA) of 1887 in an effort to protect democracy by ensuring safe and fair elections. Previously, business leaders and organizations have supported reforming the Electoral Count Act. Research this year from the Business & Democracy Initiative and Morning Consult shows executives, directors, and small business owners overwhelmingly agree that a “well-functioning democracy is important to a strong economy” and 81% believe that “businesses should act to ensure safe and fair elections.” In response to today’s vote, Business & Democracy Initiative co-founders, Daniella Ballou-Aares, CEO of the Leadership Now Project, and Rhett Buttle, Principal of Public Private Strategies, released the following statement: “Business leaders across America are grateful that Congress has taken a major step toward ensuring the stability of our democracy and our economic prosperity. The current law, the Electoral Count Act of 1887, allows a single congressman or senator to contest the results of a presidential election without any evidence. This is an unnecessary threat to both our democracy and our economy. Today’s reform will reduce that risk to upcoming presidential elections, while improving the business climate for all Americans. “The need for this reform — and the risk to business from threats to democracy — is substantial: political instability can raise the cost of doing business, suppress entrepreneurship, and erode the democratic systems that allow business to prosper. At a time when confidence in America’s democracy is at an all-time low, we need action from Washington to protect our democracy and our economy. “While important, reforming the Electoral Count Act is only a step as we work to strengthen our democracy. The decades-long restriction of voting rights, partisan gerrymandering, and influence of money in our politics have disenfranchised too many Americans and weakened the principle of one person and one vote. In the new year, Congress must continue to secure our economic prosperity by reducing these risks to our democracy.” Over the course of the past year, business leaders have expressed support for efforts to reform the Electoral Count Act. Some highlights of business leader support for reform of the Electoral Count Act are below: Small Business for America’s Future: “Small Business for America’s Future welcomes the newly proposed, bipartisan Senate legislation to modernize the Electoral Count Act … This legislation would support Main Street entrepreneurs by protecting our elections and bolstering trust in democratic institutions, as a strong democracy is the cornerstone of a dynamic and inclusive American economy.” Business for America : “The future of our republic relies upon effective election administration, public trust in the results, and the peaceful transfer of power — and so do our markets and businesses. Our country cannot afford a constitutional crisis,” said Sarah Bonk, the founder and CEO of Business for America. “That’s why we’re mobilizing the business community to support passage of the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act.” Partnership for New York City : “The business community understands that a strong economy is reliant on a stable democracy,” said Kathryn Wylde, President and CEO of the Partnership for New York City. “We support the bipartisan leaders in Congress working to ensure we uphold and protect our democratic process. Reforming the ambiguous Electoral Count Act is a critical step to secure a peaceful transition of power and ensure that we have free and fair elections – the bedrock of our democracy.” Bipartisan Policy Center : “We cannot risk another presidential election without fixing the Electoral Count Act,” said Matthew Weil of the Bipartisan Policy Center. “The aftermath of the 2020 election revealed significant ambiguities in our system for choosing the president that were too easily exploited to foment distrust and spur attempts to disrupt the lawful transition of power. This bipartisan Senate framework is a critical step for shoring up vulnerabilities, protecting election workers, and improving the voting experience.” Business Roundtable : “Business Roundtable applauds the bipartisan group of Senators who have worked together to craft legislation to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887,” said Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten. “The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act makes important updates to the law to eliminate any ambiguities around Congress’s role or procedures. This legislation demonstrates the potential for bipartisan efforts to preserve trust and confidence in our nation’s democratic system” Leadership Now Project: “The business community understands that a strong economy is reliant on a strong democracy. We support the bipartisan leaders in Congress working to ensure we uphold and protect our democratic process. The ECA is a critical step in restoring trust in our electoral systems and ensuring that we have free and fair elections - the bedrock of our democracy.” Green America’s Green Business Network : “As evidenced by the attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election results, the Electoral Count Reform Act is urgently needed to safeguard the U.S. election process and protect our democracy, the basis of our society. It would be unconscionable in the wake of recent efforts to overturn presidential election results for Congress to fail to pass the strongest possible law to ensure the integrity of these elections.” Business for Democracy: “Protecting our democracy is a top priority of small business owners. They know that there can be no vibrant entrepreneurial economy without a strong democracy. One only needs to look at the weak economies of autocratic nations for proof. Modernizing the Electoral Count Act to address the 1887 Act’s ambiguities regarding the federal role in selecting the President and Vice President is clearly necessary. The now widely recognized undemocratic efforts to deny the American voters’ Constitutional right to choose their leaders must never be allowed to happen again.” Public Private Strategies : “Modernizing the Electoral Count Act is a commonsense step to secure the peaceful transition of power and strengthen our democratic institutions,” said Rhett Buttle, Founder and Principal at Public Private Strategies. “The way the Electoral Count Act was weaponized by anti-democratic actors during the 2020 elections was a direct threat both to our democracy and our prosperity. Business leaders and organizations across the country support this bipartisan effort because they know that strong democratic institutions are essential to a fair and prosperous economy.” ###

WATCH: Briefing on The Independent State Legislature Theory

Business & Democracy Initiative Partners with Punchbowl News to Convene Conversation on Future of Democracy Event carried on C-SPAN featured Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Punchbowl News’ Anna Palmer, and Public Private Strategies’ Rhett Buttle WASHINGTON.–This week, the Business & Democracy Initiative partnered with Punchbowl News to convene a conversation about the future of democracy, voting rights reforms and more, featuring Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Punchbowl News Co-Founder & CEO Anna Palmer, Public Private Strategies Founder Rhett Buttle, and Anoop Prakash, a founding member of Wisconsin Business Leaders for Democracy. The event was carried on C-SPAN . Watch the full event:

READ RHETT BUTTLE'S LATEST FOR FORBES HERE  All eyes are focused on the upcoming midterm elections and what issues will sway voters, but more of a focus should be on ensuring the stability of our democracy. A recent NYT/Sinema poll shows the voters are keenly aware of the challenge to our democracy, but economic woes continue to rank more important. Quite frankly, the two issues are linked. The risks to the economy of a weakened democracy cannot be overstated. Unstable governments are considered likely to interfere in free markets and to be generally unsafe global investments. At best, interest rates would go up, making it significantly harder for businesses of all sizes to start and grow. If the United States’ ability to borrow money at low interest rates from creditors around the world is jeopardized, the effects could be disastrous. While this is a complicated issue, there is work to do to reduce polarization and build consensus. Congress has the opportunity to make progress by passing a crucial piece of legislation. Regardless of the election outcome, the 117th Congress should not adjourn without passing legislation to modernize the Electoral Count Act of 1887, an effort which has garnered bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. This legislation does not target Republicans or Democrats; it targets those who would undermine our democracy and is essential to keeping our economy stable. The 2020 presidential election and its aftermath pressure-tested our democratic institutions like no other modern election has done. Given how mistrust in our elections could destabilize the economy, the business community took unprecedented steps to endorse the legitimacy of the electoral results and condemn the January 6th insurrection that followed. Business leaders, like the American public and consumers they serve, recognize that our democracy is fragile, with 83% indicating they are concerned about the health of the US democracy in recent polling. Perhaps more than others, we need them to recognize their ability to make sure we are on a path to rebuild trust in institutions that have allowed us to build the greatest economy on this planet. “The future of our republic relies upon effective election administration, public trust in the results, and the peaceful transfer of power — and so do our markets and businesses. Our country cannot afford a constitutional crisis,” said Sarah Bonk, the founder and CEO of Business for America. Efforts to reverse the 2020 election and stop President Biden from taking office hinged on a last resort effort to force former Vice President Mike Pence to use the Electoral Count Act of 1887 to overturn the results. After close elections in 1880 and 1884, Congress passed this legislation to set an approval process for a state’s slate of electors. Yet under the law, just one Senator and one Representative objecting could force a vote on approving a state’s electoral votes. This approach has been used by both Republicans and Democrats in the past 20 years. Fortunately, the January 6 insurrection failed and President Joe Biden was inaugurated two weeks later. However, still too many believe Biden’s victory was the result of voter fraud, and we are seeing more candidates being open to refusing to accept electoral defeat. In fact, 60% of Americans will have a candidate who questions the results of the 2020 election on their ballot this November. “The aftermath of the 2020 election revealed significant ambiguities in our system for choosing the president that were too easily exploited to foment distrust and spur attempts to disrupt the lawful transition of power,” said Matthew Weil, associate director of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Democracy Project. “This bipartisan Senate framework is a critical step for shoring up vulnerabilities, protecting election workers, and improving the voting experience.” The legislation moving through Congress would modernize the rules for counting electoral votes and clarify that the vice president does not have any power to solely accept or reject electors. It also increases the threshold to raise an objection to a state’s electors. This proposal has bipartisan support, including from such unlikely allies as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer [D-NY] and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell [R-KY], demonstrating its practical approach to modernizing the arcane 1887 law. “It is common sense to modestly increase, as others have said here, the threshold for objections to the electoral count — so that Congress still has options in case of truly extraordinary circumstances, but we avoid an arms race where objections with almost no support paralyze the process every four years,” Sen. McConnell said when he announced his support. The bottom line is that if the events of 2020 and early 2021 are repeated during a future election, our country and our economy will suffer. Business leaders should use their trusted voices in support of meaningful, pragmatic actions to safeguard democratic institutions. This legislation will not address all the threats we are currently facing, but it’s an important and timely step to avoid another catastrophic attempt to overturn a democratic election result. Congress can take an important step to protect our democracy and economy by passing legislation to modernize the Electoral Count Act.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson Joins Business Leader Briefing on Promote the Vote Constitutional Amendment Last Week, B&DI had the pleasure of hosting Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for a virtual business leader briefing on the Promote the Vote Constitutional Amendment, which will appear on the November ballot in Michigan. The briefing included information on the provisions of the Promote the Vote Amendment, including how the measure would ensure that voting is accessible to all Michiganders and tighten rules around election certification to ensure that election professionals are free to do their jobs without interference. Secretary Benson answered questions from Michigan business leaders and spoke about the importance of the proposed amendment. You can watch a recording of the briefing below.

Business Leaders And Organizations Across America Support Electoral Count Act Modernization Washington, D.C.– Since a bipartisan group of Senators announced an agreement to modernize the Electoral Count Act, business leaders and organizations across America have made public statements in support of the legislation, adding to the chorus of business voices that are standing up and speaking out about the need to strengthen our democratic institutions. Powerful research from the Business & Democracy Initiative and conducted by Morning Consult shows that business leaders overwhelmingly agree that a “well-functioning democracy is important to a strong economy” while 81 percent of business leaders think that “businesses should act to ensure safe and fair elections.” Here's what business leaders and organizations are saying about reforming the Electoral Count Act: Small Business for America’s Future : “Small Business for America’s Future welcomes the newly proposed, bipartisan Senate legislation to modernize the Electoral Count Act … This legislation would support Main Street entrepreneurs by protecting our elections and bolstering trust in democratic institutions, as a strong democracy is the cornerstone of a dynamic and inclusive American economy.” Business for America : “The future of our republic relies upon effective election administration, public trust in the results, and the peaceful transfer of power — and so do our markets and businesses. Our country cannot afford a constitutional crisis,” said Sarah Bonk, the founder and CEO of Business for America. “That’s why we’re mobilizing the business community to support passage of the bipartisan Electoral Count Reform Act through our sign-on letter to Congress at bfa.us/ecra .” Bipartisan Policy Center : “We cannot risk another presidential election without fixing the Electoral Count Act,” said Matthew Weil of the Bipartisan Policy Center. “The aftermath of the 2020 election revealed significant ambiguities in our system for choosing the president that were too easily exploited to foment distrust and spur attempts to disrupt the lawful transition of power. This bipartisan Senate framework is a critical step for shoring up vulnerabilities, protecting election workers, and improving the voting experience.” Business Roundtable : “Business Roundtable applauds the bipartisan group of Senators who have worked together to craft legislation to reform the Electoral Count Act of 1887,” said Business Roundtable CEO Joshua Bolten. “The Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act makes important updates to the law to eliminate any ambiguities around Congress’s role or procedures. This legislation demonstrates the potential for bipartisan efforts to preserve trust and confidence in our nation’s democratic system” Leadership Now Project: “The business community understands that a strong economy is reliant on a strong democracy. We support the bi-partisan leaders in Congress working to ensure we uphold and protect our democratic process. The ECA is a critical step in restoring trust in our electoral systems and ensuring that we have free and fair elections - the bedrock of our democracy.” Green America’s Green Business Network : “As evidenced by the attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election results, the Electoral Count Reform Act is urgently needed to safeguard the U.S. election process and protect our democracy, the basis of our society. It would be unconscionable in the wake of recent efforts to overturn presidential election results for Congress to fail to pass the strongest possible law to ensure the integrity of these elections.” Business for Democracy “Protecting our democracy is a top priority of small business owners. They know that there can be no vibrant entrepreneurial economy without a strong democracy. One only needs to look at the weak economies of autocratic nations for proof. Modernizing the Electoral Count Act to address the 1887 Act’s ambiguities regarding the federal role in selecting the President and Vice President is clearly necessary. The now widely recognized undemocratic efforts to deny the American voters’ Constitutional right to choose their leaders must never be allowed to happen again.” Public Private Strategies : “Modernizing the Electoral Count Act is a commonsense step to secure the peaceful transition of power and strengthen our democratic institutions,” said Rhett Buttle, Founder and Principal at Public Private Strategies. “The way the Electoral Count Act was weaponized by anti-democratic actors during the 2020 elections was a direct threat both to our democracy and our prosperity. Business leaders and organizations across the country support this bipartisan effort because they know that strong democratic institutions are essential to a fair and prosperous economy.” ###

Business Leaders Join Congresswoman Suzan DelBene To Discuss Threats to Democracy, Call on Congress to Pass Electoral Count Act Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) joined a group of business leaders from across the country for a discussion on the current state of American democracy, and the role of business leaders in defending our democratic institutions. A recording of the event can be found below: 

WASHINGTON– As our democracy faces critical challenges, powerful research from the Business & Democracy Initiative continues to drive and inform the conversation around the business communities' engagement with and support for our democracy and democratic institutions. Most recently, in an editorial for the Financial Times, Gillian Tett cited the Business & Democracy Initiative's research to make the incisive argument that “business leaders need to speak up for democracy.” Financial Times: Editorial: Business Leaders Need to Speak Up For Democracy Are American business leaders ready to defend democracy? If you look at recent opinion polls, the answer might seem to be a resounding — and reassuring — “yes.” Take a survey published in May by the Business & Democracy Initiative … this found that 96 per cent of business leaders think that “a well-functioning democracy is important to a strong economy” and 81 per cent agree that“businesses should act to ensure safe and fair elections.” More striking still, 77 per cent “agree that businesses should speak out about threats to democracy.” And just over half of these leaders are more likely to encourage their staff to champion democracy and work in elections than they were five years ago. Only 8 per cent are less enthusiastic than before. Let us fervently hope that the 96 per cent of companies who say that democracy is good for the economy are actually ready to defend it. Particularly given that these threats are likely to only mount; and that the Edelman Trust barometer shows that the public now has more faith in business leaders than politicians — by a big and widening margin. Read the full piece here ### About the Business & Democracy Initiative We are a partnership of business leaders dedicated to protecting our elections and rebuilding trust in democratic institutions, because we know that a strong democracy is the cornerstone of a dynamic and inclusive American economy. The Business & Democracy Initiative's founding partners are top business leaders and advocates: the Black Economic Alliance, the Leadership Now Project, and Public Private Strategies. We engage stakeholders across all levels of business to advocate for reforms that strengthen our democracy. As the health and stability of American democracy continue to be under serious threat, the business community is a critical voice in the fight to preserve our free, open, and democratic system. Learn more about the Initiative at businessanddemocracy.org .