NFIB members can access state Voting Record ahead of the November election
One benefit of NFIB membership is that members receive their respective state NFIB Voting Record before the November elections. Each Voting Record provides a report card on how state legislators voted on issues important to small businesses, and it allows small business owners to hold state legislators accountable for how they voted.
“While many state legislators claim to support small businesses, NFIB’s Voting Records show whether each legislator’s actions match their words,” said NFIB Vice President of State Government Relations Tim Goodrich. “The NFIB Voting Record gives small business owners a picture of their state representatives’ and state senators’ votes on key small business issues.”
Typically between 2-4 pages in length, Voting Records are published at the end of the state’s legislative session. They are available to NFIB members before mid-October. In states where a primary election is the main competitive race, the NFIB Voting Record is typically available several weeks before the primary election.
While legislators vote on a wide variety of topics, only votes related to issues where NFIB has an official position are counted in the NFIB Voting Record. Each Voting Record starts with an introduction that gives a brief explanation of each bill or issue chosen for the Voting Record. The Voting Record also includes a chart that shows lawmakers’ votes on select bills related to small business and their final scores.
If necessary, NFIB’s Voting Records also explain the effects of a “yes” or “no” vote. For example, a “yes” vote on an amendment to improve a bill would have a different intention than a “yes” vote on the bill itself.
State legislators who vote at least 70% in support of NFIB issue positions are eligible to be named a Guardian of Small Business. The purpose of the Guardian award is to recognize state legislators who have clearly demonstrated support for small business. They must have also sponsored or been a principal player in an NFIB-priority bill or have taken a leadership role in either lining up votes for an NFIB-supported bill or lining up votes against an NFIB-opposed bill.
NFIB members are notified of the release of their Voting Records via postcards that include a link to the Voting Records. You can see your state’s SVR by visiting NFIB.com/state-voting-records/.
