Reddit Is Going Public. Here Are 7 Things You Didn't Know About the Company
Going Remote Saved This PR Firm $90,000 a Year in Rent. So It Took the Team to Universal Studios
Court Pauses SEC Climate Disclosure Rules
Sam Altman Says ChatGPT-4 'Kinda Sucks.' It's a Reminder of Why Entrepreneurs Innovate
When It Comes to Woman-Owned Businesses, the West Coast Is the Best Coast
How Costco's $1.50 Hot Dog Combo Serves Up a Lesson in Building Brand Loyalty
5 SXSW Movies and Shows For Entrepreneurs
The Small Business Administration is engaging in civic engagement.
SBA administrator Isabel Guzman on Tuesday announced that the agency tasked with serving America's small businesses had struck an agreement with the Michigan Department of State to boost the state's voter registration. The agreement, which will run through January 2036, marks a first for the SBA in providing voting resources to small-business owners.
"[T]he SBA will help connect Michiganders to vital voter registration information from the State of Michigan so that more small-business owners can exercise their right to vote," Guzman said in a statement. "Small businesses are busy working on and in their businesses, and by meeting them where they are -- on our website and at our small business outreach events -- we can help facilitate voter registration and civic engagement so their voices are heard."
The memorandum of understanding could allow businesses to register to vote during SBA outreach votes. It will also direct Michigan's Department of State to generate a voter registration webpage that the SBA will advertise. More than 900,000 small businesses operate in Michigan, according to the SBA.
While President Joe Biden has called on federal agencies to expand voter registration initiatives since 2021, it's unclear why or how the SBA landed on Michigan. The SBA did not immediately respond to Inc.'s request for comment.
Michigan consistently has some of the most committed voters in the nation: In 2020, voter turnout hit 70.4 percent, making Michigan the eighth best state for voter turnout in the country, according to the U.S. States Elections Project, which tracks election data. For reference, Minnesota had the highest turnout that year, at 74.8 percent, while Texas ranked dead last, at 51.3 percent.
The memorandum of understanding may hint at the role Michigan has to play in the election -- it is one of the battleground states, after all -- though the agreement between the SBA and Michigan's Department of State is not necessarily a partisan one given that voter registration is open to members of both parties.
"[T]here will obviously be a lot of efforts by interest and advocacy groups to register their target demographics to vote this election," says Kaivan Shroff, a political strategist and press secretary at Dream for America, a Gen-Z-led nonprofit advocating progressive political views. "So it makes sense to help an important group of constituents in the state -- who may struggle to register due to time constraints or lack of access -- by meeting them where they are."
Remember, former President Donald Trump won Michigan in 2016, making him the first Republican candidate to clinch the state since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Michigan also became a battleground in 2020: President Joe Biden scored 2.8 million votes (50.6 percent) in the state, which wasn't that far ahead of the 2.65 million votes (47.8 percent) secured by Trump.
With 15 electoral votes, Michigan ranks as the 10th state in the country in share of votes. President Biden has already visited Michigan twice since the start of this year.
For what it's worth, Michigan has a strong record of being voter-friendly. Its voters passed Proposition 2 during the 2022 election cycle, giving all voters in the state the green light to vote early in any state or federal election. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the measure into law last July.
"I think there's a culture of voting taking hold here," says Jill Alper, a Democratic strategist who is also the CEO of Alper Strategies, a public affairs firm based in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. "But again, we do see different areas of the state performing differently in different election cycles, and in 2018 the turnout wasn't as high."
Now accepting applications for Inc.’s Best Workplace awards. Apply by February 16 for your chance to be featured!
A refreshed look at leadership from the desk of CEO and chief content officer Stephanie Mehta
Privacy Policy
The SBA Inks a 'First of Its Kind' Voter Registration Agreement With Michigan. An Election Clue?
4
1
21.03.2024
Reddit Is Going Public. Here Are 7 Things You Didn't Know About the Company
Going Remote Saved This PR Firm $90,000 a Year in Rent. So It Took the Team to Universal Studios
Court Pauses SEC Climate Disclosure Rules
Sam Altman Says ChatGPT-4 'Kinda Sucks.' It's a Reminder of Why Entrepreneurs Innovate
When It Comes to Woman-Owned Businesses, the West Coast Is the Best Coast
How Costco's $1.50 Hot Dog Combo Serves Up a Lesson in Building Brand Loyalty
5 SXSW Movies and Shows For Entrepreneurs
The Small Business Administration is engaging in civic engagement.
SBA administrator Isabel Guzman on Tuesday announced that the agency tasked with serving America's small businesses had struck an agreement with the Michigan Department of State to boost the state's voter registration. The agreement, which will run through January 2036, marks a first for the SBA in providing voting resources to small-business owners.
"[T]he SBA will help connect Michiganders to vital voter registration information from the........
© Inc.com
visit website
login
who are we?
contact us
qosheapp
Toi Staff
Gideon Levy
Belen Fernandez
Rami G Khouri
Mort Laitner
Rachel Marsden
Donald Low
Bradley Blankenship
Ali Fathollah-Nejad
Nikkei Editorial
Abbas Juma
Michael Kwet
