Business leaders and their associations should take a stand to defend democracy

This month, the Business Roundtable, an association of CEOs from top American companies, issued a public statement about the upcoming elections that it shouldn’t have had to make.

“It can take time to finalize election results,” the Business Roundtable wrote, “and we urge all Americans to respect the processes set out in federal and state laws for electoral determinations and an orderly transition.”

Just last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued an election primer on our democratic system and rule of law: “We encourage all Americans to be patient and have faith in the checks and balances built into our systems. When this election is over, we must work together to ensure a peaceful transfer of power and remember that we are all Americans and what unites us is much larger than what divides us.”

In other words, let’s be patient if vote counts are delayed and resist baseless actions or threats of violence that sow confusion, erode faith in our democracy and its institutions and disrupt the rule of law.

As leaders of large, prominent corporations, Business Roundtable members not only can influence the actions of their employees and the behavior of politicians, they also remind us that economic institutions are prepared to hold firm in support of democracy.

In the run up to the 2020 elections, associations like the Chamber and the National Association of Manufacturers issued nonpartisan statements supporting safe and fair elections, opposing disinformation about fraud and condemning political violence. With their statements in place, those associations were taken seriously when they acknowledged the election results on Nov. 8, 2020, and condemned violence on Jan. 6, 2021.

That’s why, despite the partisanship that is sweeping this country, associations and companies should not shy away from speaking up and stating the truths they know to be self-evident: that elections are fair unless proven otherwise, that voting is a sacred right that should not be abridged and that political violence should never be tolerated.

The warning signs of what is to come in November are already here. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the upcoming elections “rigged” and has refused to confirm he will accept the official results without a fight. A recent poll shows that 41 percent of Americans expect violent protests no matter who wins the presidential vote; if Trump loses, that percentage rises to 49 percent.

Businesses and associations have credibility on issues such as these. When asked to name the most likely sources of disinformation about the 2024 elections, respondents listed the Republican Party (40 percent), the news media (36 percent) and the Democratic Party (32 percent). Only 4 percent of Americans said major companies were a primary source of disinformation. In a question about credible political news and information, associations were ranked as one of the most trustworthy sources.

It’s to be expected that American companies and associations may be concerned about retaliation if they speak out directly against Trump. That’s because he has said numerous times he will seek revenge against his enemies. “I am your warrior. I am your justice,” he said in 2023, “And for those of you have been wronged or betrayed, I am your retribution.”

If this sounds frightening, that’s because it is. Retaliation by political leaders to quell legal political activities — like voting or supporting our democratic institutions and the rule of law — is every bit as corrosive of that system as self-dealing or taking bribes.

But when it comes to the long-term value of speaking out, we in America should learn from the experiences of other countries, including Turkey and Hungary, which have slid toward autocracy in recent decades. Business leaders in those countries now say they wish they had been more vocal as authoritarians slowly gained control and democracy faded. And they admit that what stopped them from speaking out was fear of retaliation.

Only two years ago, corporate leaders in Brazil who had once supported President Jair Bolsonaro spoke out about his poor management of the pandemic and his authoritarian policies. Despite their concerns about the consequences, many of them opposed him publicly — even though his opponent, Lula da Silva, was far to the left.

Few of those inside Washington, D.C. have forgotten the clear, recorded reality of Jan. 6, 2021, and very few business leaders believe Trump provided credible evidence of significant fraud or mismanagement in the conduct of the 2020 election.

So what can corporate and association leaders do? Certainly, we can give our employees time off to vote and encourage our members to do the same. We can shine a light on companies such as Old Navy and Allstate, which actively encourage employees to volunteer at polling places. We can talk about how vital democratic institutions are to economic growth and stability. And we can emphasize that maintaining order and supporting election results will help protect our national security.

We can also join together to sign statements supporting our right to vote, condemning political violence, requiring candidates to accept legitimate election results and giving politicians the ability to dispute results only by accepted legal means.

Corporations or associations don’t need to mention specific individuals or political figures by name when they issue statements supporting honest, open and nonviolent elections.

The nonpartisan Business and Democracy Initiative issued a statement calling for a safe and secure election process that urged business associations and organizations to “ask all political leaders to agree to nonpartisan principles of fair elections, by complying with federal and state election laws and acknowledging the legitimacy of the outcomes after the results have been certified and courts have made final rulings.”

The United States Agency for International Development, whose mission is to support democracies in developing countries, does so by “strengthening election management bodies and political parties, supporting electoral reform and election observation, enhancing voter education, promoting a more resilient information environment, mitigating electoral violence, and bolstering electoral justice.”

That pledge pretty much covers all aspects of the electoral process — and it’s a helpful checklist of ways for businesses and associations to make a positive difference in our democracy.

Those same actions to protect democracy must be more visibly supported, by both government and the business community, in the U.S. as well. For our part, businesses and their associations must stand as champions for democracy. This election, we cannot stay silent.

Doug Pinkham is president of the Public Affairs Council, the leading nonpartisan, nonpolitical association for public affairs professionals. Joel Poznansky is chairman of CBIS, a leading publisher for association and government relations professionals.