NFIB

CONTACT: Michelle Dimarob, (202) 554-9000

Small-business owners pull out all the stops to elect pro-small-business candidates.

Traveling in the battleground state of Ohio, NFIB President and CEO Jack Faris today reminded small-business owners that what happens at the polls greatly affects their livelihoods. During a visit with Main Street business leaders he encouraged all small-business owners and their employees to “get out the vote” and applauded NFIB small-business owners who are taking bold steps to elect pro-small-business candidates.

“Small business creates two out of three new jobs in this country and when politics touches small business, these men and women know their local economies feel it,” Faris said. “Those NFIB members who are going to the ‘next level’ to educate voters in their communities about pro-small-business candidates are illustrating how the actions of each and every person are going to be what makes a difference Nov. 2, and we applaud their efforts.”

NFIB small-business owner members nationwide have undertaken wide-ranging activities to encourage involvement in the political process. A sampling of those individual initiatives include:

• An Ohio NFIB member has signage placed throughout his family-owned business reminding folks to vote. In addition to providing phone-bank space for local races, he uses a paycheck stuffer/newsletter to educate and inform employees about where candidates for state and federal races stand on issues that matter to small business, including tax relief and liability reform;
• A Maryland NFIB member registers voters, hosts training days to teach voters how to use the electronic voting machines, prepares voter education materials for his employees and promotes campaign work by providing several hours a week of paid time off to volunteer on a campaign in their area;
• A South Carolina NFIB member reminds her employees not to come to work in the morning until they have voted or to leave early enough to get to the polling place after work; and
• An Illinois NFIB member writes a personal letter to his nearly 200 employees detailing the issues most likely to affect the company, such as the death tax. He closes the letter noting, “each of you, vote your conscience, but for sure vote.”

A nationwide survey sponsored by NFIB this year found that 66 percent of voters stated that they would be definitely or more likely to vote for the candidate supported by small business and NFIB.

As the nation’s largest small-business group, NFIB recently unveiled its overall political action plan undertaken by NFIB’s SAFE Trust Political Action Committee in this election cycle to motivate the political participation of its 600,000 members. Activities include:

• More than $9 million raised for the 2004 election cycle, a record;
• More than $1 million in direct contributions to federal and state candidates;
• Nearly seven million voter contacts to member and non-member small-business owners – including mailings, brochures, faxes, e-mails and phone calls;
• More than 1.1 million issue voter education advocacy mailings to small-business voters in 24 key U.S. Senate and U.S. House races across the country, including mailing of scorecards comparing candidates on key small-business issues and GOTV postcards; and
• Distributed more than 750,000 copies of “How Congress Voted,” which tracks the votes of elected officials on key small-business issues

“In this and every election, the stakes are high for small business, and it is critical that small-business owners not leave anything to chance,” Faris concluded. “In the last election NFIB reached out in unprecedented fashion to its members and thousands of other like-minded voters. They made sure the voice of small business was heard. This election, NFIB and small business will make a difference again by educating voters about the issues, by voting and by encouraging others to do the same.”

Editor’s Note: To learn more about NFIB’s political program, visit www.NFIB.com/politics

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) is the nation’s largest small-business advocacy group. A nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1943, NFIB represents the consensus views of its 600,000 members in Washington and all 50 state capitals.