The CEO Center Calls on Business Leaders to Support Trusted Elections and Civic Participation Ahead of 2026 Midterms
Free, fair, secure, and accessible elections are essential to business confidence, economic stability, and the rule of law
NEW YORK, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As the 2026 midterm elections approach, The CEO Center of The Conference Board is calling on business leaders to help strengthen confidence in America's electoral process, encourage nonpartisan civic participation, and reinforce respect for the rule of law and lawful election outcomes.
The rule of law, representative government, and free enterprise have long reinforced one another in the United States. For business, that relationship is practical: Companies invest, enter contracts, hire employees, and commit capital for decades based on confidence that laws will be applied consistently and institutions will remain stable.
That same confidence extends to elections. Free, fair, secure, accessible, and transparent elections help provide the political stability and predictability on which long-term investment and economic growth depend. Earlier this year, The CEO Center emphasized that trusted elections are important not only to democratic institutions but also to business confidence and economic stability.
"Confidence in our elections and confidence in our markets go together," said David K. Young, President of The CEO Center at The Conference Board. "Businesses invest for the long term when they have confidence in the rule of law, stable institutions, and processes that are transparent and trusted. Supporting free and fair elections isn't about taking a political side. It's about protecting the foundations that allow our economy and our democracy to work."
A Call to the Business Community
The CEO Center calls on business leaders to take action in four areas:
- Encourage civic participation. Provide employees with trusted, nonpartisan information about when, where, and how to vote, and reasonable opportunities to participate in the electoral process. The CEO Center's Elections Toolkit provides businesses with a framework for nonpartisan employee engagement.
- Support election integrity and transparency. Broad voter participation and rigorous election integrity are complementary—not competing—objectives. Secure election infrastructure, transparent administration, and accurate and timely counting strengthen public confidence.
- Respect the rule of law and lawful outcomes. Political competition is fundamental to representative government. Respect for constitutional processes and lawful election outcomes provides continuity and stability across election cycles.
- Support those who administer our elections. State and local election officials and poll workers perform an essential public service. Business leaders can encourage employees to serve as poll workers and help reinforce respect for those who administer elections professionally and according to law.
Why Elections Matter to Business
Business investment depends on confidence. Companies commit capital when they believe contracts will be enforced, institutions will function, and the rules governing commerce will remain sufficiently predictable to make long-term decisions.
Erosion of institutional confidence can increase uncertainty and make businesses more cautious about investment, expansion, and hiring.
The Constitution assigns primary responsibility for election administration to the states, with important supporting roles for federal and local government. The CEO Center supports broad participation by every eligible voter, strong election security, transparent administration, and public confidence in the results. These principles reinforce one another.
"This is ultimately a question of stewardship," Young added. "We aren't asking business leaders to take sides politically. We are asking them to take responsibility—to encourage civic engagement, support trusted information, reinforce respect for the rule of law, and help ensure that the next generation inherits both a strong democracy and a competitive, open economy."
Earlier this year, The CEO Center released A Stable Democracy at 250: Trusted Elections as the Foundation, together with an Elections Toolkit to help businesses support informed, nonpartisan civic engagement among employees and communities. The report recommends strengthening election infrastructure and security, promoting broad participation, countering misinformation and disinformation, protecting election workers, and making trusted election information readily available.
Learn more: See The CEO Center's A Stable Democracy at 250: Trusted Elections as the Foundation and companion Elections Toolkit for additional recommendations and resources.
About The CEO Center
The CEO Center, founded in 1942 as the Committee for Economic Development, is the public policy center of The Conference Board. Members of The CEO Center are chief executive officers, key executives of leading companies, and university Presidents. Collectively, they represent 30+ industries, over five million employees, and more than $2T in annual revenues. The nonprofit, nonpartisan, business-led policy center advances business-informed policy recommendations to strengthen the US economy and advance the country's long-term prosperity.
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About The Conference Board
The Conference Board is the global, Member-driven think tank that delivers Trusted Insights for What's Ahead®. Founded in 1916, we are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization.
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SOURCE The Conference Board
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