As leaders, we all have the power to share our voice by voting. This election, it’s critical that we not only all vote but also educate ourselves on the voting process and vote early. That was one of the takeaways from last week’s Virtual Voices on voting.

Virtual Voices aims to keep Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation alums informed and engaged as our community works through this challenging time. Each virtual meeting brings together leaders on the front lines of impacted industries to share their knowledge, perspectives and leadership lessons.

Hon. Paul D. López, clerk and recorder for the City and County of Denver, and Amber McReynolds, CEO for the National Vote at Home Institute and Coalition, shared how elections are managed, why it’s important to vote and what actions you can take as a leader to get out the vote.

Check out our key takeaways and the video of the webinar below.

Voters come first. Voter accessibility and availability is crucial. We need to meet voters where they are, give them options on how to cast their ballots and ensure they feel safe doing so. That also means identifying and removing barriers that have impacted voter participation.

Transparency and voter education. Misinformation on how you can vote and how it is counted has become a focus of this election. It’s important to educate voters on the safety of the process and be transparent on how a vote is processed. Education and transparency will increase trust in the process and reduce the sharing of misinformation.

Voter funding is critical. Democracy doesn’t stop because of a pandemic. We need to advocate for election funding so our local governments have the ability to execute during the election season.

Encourage your network to vote. Every vote and every voice matter. How can you, as a leader, empower others to vote? We can encourage others to participate, identify those in our community who don’t have easy access to voting and work together to help them vote.

Vote early. Once you get your ballot, don’t wait to cast your vote. Educate yourself on issues and candidates, fill out your ballot and remember to sign it. By turning in your ballot early, you alleviate some of the pressures on election day. You give your county clerk more time to process ballots and you avoid the risk of not being able to vote because of health issues. You also have more time to encourage others to vote when you are done. One bonus of voting early – you are removed from political campaign lists.

Join us for an upcoming Virtual Voices. Check out our upcoming programs.