Get Out the Vote: Our Local Impact

At Participate Learning, we are committed to creating global, cultural, and language connections that empower students and educators to positively impact the world. Our programs nurture students as they become empathetic, culturally aware global leaders who think globally and act locally in their communities to create change.

We strive as a company to set the example for our community by using our voices to be active, participatory citizens, and now with Election Day behind us, we have tallied our collective efforts. Read on to learn more about how we encouraged democracy and worked to get out the vote during the 2020 election.

Get Out the Vote

“Get out the vote” or “getting out the vote” describes efforts that focus on increasing the voter turnout in elections. As an organization, we focused our attention on nonpartisan voter registration campaigns and encouraged others to vote in the months leading up to the election.

Considering that North Carolina is a swing state, voters play an important role in deciding the outcome of the presidential election, in addition to many local races. As a certified B Corporation, we believe it is our responsibility to use our business as a force for good to ensure Americans know they have the right to vote safely. Volunteering to spread awareness and help people overcome barriers to engage in the election process was one meaningful way we sought to get involved as an organization.

Supporting Our Staff

Each employee at Participate Learning has been given eight hours of paid volunteer time to dedicate toward the election effort of their choice. For some, they have chosen to write individualized postcards to eligible unregistered voters around the country to encourage them to use their voice this election. Other employees have signed up to work as poll protectors to ensure that every polling place is running effectively.

For our employees who want to offer their areas of expertise to voting efforts, some have volunteered with Rock the Vote as graphic designers, video editors, and authors. Rock the Vote also offers volunteer opportunities to text voters directly and help them to register so they can ensure their vote is counted.

The Importance of Volunteering

During this election year it was especially important to us to encourage our staff to take an active, meaningful role in a mission to encourage voter turnout. Here’s what we accomplished:

• Fourteen employees took advantage of some or all of their 8 hours of paid volunteer time to support election efforts, and some contributed as many as 15 hours.
• Nine employees were poll protectors on November 3 to ensure that their polling place ran effectively and to act as a resource for anyone stopping by to vote.
• We compiled resources for our ambassador teachers about civic engagement and lessons for students.
• Others participated from home by writing postcards to unregistered voters or volunteered with Rock the Vote as graphic designers, video editors, and authors.

Working together, Participate Learning staff volunteered 77 hours toward nonpartisan efforts during the 2020 election.

Uniting Our Organization

During this tumultuous election season, we committed ourselves to working together for a bright, inclusive tomorrow. We know that when we work together we can accomplish so much more than when we are divided. In October, Participate Learning joined more than 500 other companies in a pledge to be 100% in for democracy. We, along with other members of the Civic Alliance, signed this statement:

Each of our companies is unique. Yet we are united by these nonpartisan values: Every American has a voice in our democracy. Voting should be safe and accessible to all. Elections should be fair and transparent.

We believe that voting should be accessible to everyone so that people feel empowered to make their voice heard and their vote count in every election. In addition to signing the statement above, we joined Democracy NC’s Adopt-a-County program to support election efforts and partnered with the Time to Vote Movement, which works to ensure employees don’t have to choose between earning a day’s pay and voting. As an organization, we are proud of the way we have united together to contribute to democracy and a better future for everyone.

At Participate Learning, we believe that big change is possible when many people take small actions. For more information on ways you can participate, check out these resources from the B Corporation community. To learn more about Participate Learning as a B Corp, read this blog post about our journey.