04/ 02/ 2008
In the heat of the electoral season, political pundits love to hunt for exotic voting segments with colorful names they can use to explain voter motivation. We've heard of “NASCAR Dads,” “K-Mart Republicans” and “Soccer Moms.”
You, as small business owners, are a major source of jobs in America today. As such, you represent a voting bloc that has been overlooked by the pundits. And you had a huge presence at the polls on that now-famous “Tsunami (aka Super) Tuesday,” Feb. 5.
National survey research, commissioned by NFIB on Super Tuesday, shows that small business owners account for approximately 11 percent of all registered voters nationally, and when you include employees, the small business sector swells to 32 percent of the electorate. In fact, small business owners alone make up roughly the same percentage as union voters (about 12 percent). We hear quite a bit about the voting habits of unionized labor from political reporters, but we don't hear much about the voting habits and opinions of the small business sector.
NFIB also commissioned research among primary voters in California, Missouri, Arizona and Georgia to (1) learn what role small business plays in primary elections, and (2) to better understand their thoughts on healthcare reform--a critical issue for our small business members.
On Super Tuesday, the small business voting segment was as large as or larger than many voting segments traditionally covered by the media. And it was a large bloc in both the Republican and Democratic primaries.
One of their principal voting concerns, which should come as no surprise, is healthcare. While 35 percent of all voters nationally report that their companies have “had difficulty keeping up with the cost of healthcare,” the number shoots up to 51 percent among small business owners. And while 28 percent of all U.S. voters report that their companies have had “to make hard choices like layoffs, premium increases or a reduction in healthcare benefits,” the number jumps to 38 percent among small business owners. Once again, it's clear: Small businesses continue to plead for healthcare reform.
More than ever before, small business owners and their employees are turning out to vote. The group may lack a catchy name, but you're a powerful bloc motivated to find real solutions to the issues that affect you most--especially healthcare. And to address the healthcare crisis, small business must be a central part of any solution. The next general election may very well hang on your decisions in the voting booth.
Democratic Primaries
In California's Democratic primary, small business employers and employees were a larger segment than union voters, 28 percent to 20 percent.
In Missouri, small business voters outnumbered union voters 28 percent to 15 percent.
Small business voters in Arizona outnumbered union voters there by a three-to-one margin, 31 percent to 10 percent.
Republican Primaries
Small business voters made up roughly one-third of the electorate in California (39 percent), Missouri (32 percent) and Georgia (38 percent).
In the California Republican primary, 23 percent of voters owned their own small business--nearly one in four.
This article is from the April/May 2008 issue of MyBusiness.
