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AGC Encourages Active Get-Out-the-Vote
Campaign
November elections could have a big
impact on critical industry issues
By AGC CEO Steve Sandherr
This year was filled with hot political
topics and highly-charged legislative battles that engaged
citizens in issues directly affecting the construction industry,
including comprehensive immigration reform, the death tax
and pension reform.
Through AGC's unmatched presence on Capitol
Hill, the top concerns of its contractor members were represented
on every critical legislative issue facing the industry. While
AGC is hard at work fighting for the contractor, our members
can focus on running their businesses and building our nation's
economy.
AGC emphasizes the importance of voting
and encourages members to do the same with their employees
and co-workers, particularly with such thin margins in Congress.
The votes cast on November 7 will decide who controls Congress.
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| Visit AGC's online Political Toolkit
at www.agc.org/vote |
The primary focus will be on a handful
of races around the country, with 15 seats separating the
parties in the House and only six separating them in the Senate.
Every vote is critical, and it's particularly important that
our members vote for pro-construction, pro-infrastructure
candidates who will be focused on moving AGC's legislative
priorities forward over the next two years.
As employers, you have an opportunity
to educate your employees about the many voting resources
available to them. Eighty-four percent of employees surveyed
after the 2004 elections said they valued the information
given to them by employers about how government issues impact
the industry. Nearly 25 percent said employer-provided information
made them more likely to vote.
People don't vote for several reasons-lack
of awareness, apathy, confusion or the belief that "my
vote won't make a difference." No matter how well we
educate and motivate employees, our work won't count unless
they register and vote on Election Day. Here are several simple
ways to make the registration process easier for your employees
and their family members:
- Include a voter-registration drive as part of your company
events.
- Include voter-registration materials in employee-information
packets and welcome kits for employees relocating to your
area.
- Delegate voter-registration duties to your managers-ask
them to distribute registration materials at staff meetings
and help employees who may need assistance.
- Use a voice-mail tree or send a broadcast e-mail as critical
registration dates near.
- Send a broadcast e-mail with a link to www.agc.org/vote
AGC's Political Toolkit, available at
www.agc.org/vote, provides this and other information on voter
registration, local election timetables, a database of all
candidates for federal office, advocacy information, creative
get-out-the-vote ideas and tools for engaging employees to
become more politically active.
As Election Day approaches, please use
the 2006 Voters' Resource in this issue of Constructor to
educate, register and motivate your employees to vote for
candidates who will make the right decisions for the construction
industry and for our country.
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| The November 7 election
will decide who controls Congress. |
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