ICM Partners Calls for Vote By Mail Expansion and More Volunteer Participation in 2020 Election (Video)
ICM Partners is pushing Hollywood to get out the vote by launching two new initiatives aimed at boosting voter turnout in the 2020 election, including calling for an expansion of vote by mail access across the U.S., and urging young voters to participate as poll workers on election day.
The latest moves as part of its Voter Turn Out initiatives that launched on July 2 follow ICM’s plan to make election day this November 3 a paid holiday for all employees. The agency has now also put together a splashy, star-studded video that calls on others to make voting by mail more accessible for American voters. The video is led by Bradley Whitford and also includes some former presidential candidates including Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer.
“Today, I’m calling on my peers throughout the entertainment industry to join ICM in making Election Day a paid holiday, supporting expanded access to vote by mail in every state and encouraging our young and able-bodied workforce to volunteer as election workers this November,” Chris Silbermann, ICM Partners CEO said in a statement. “No one in this country should have to choose between their health and the right to vote or their paycheck and the right to vote. Let’s make voting by mail an option for every voter regardless of where you live, and let’s relieve the elderly poll workers who are most at risk of COVID19 from the responsibility of staffing polling locations during a pandemic. Our industry has the unique power and responsibility to lead through culture, but we must also lead through action.”
*Also Read:* ICM Partners Makes Election Day 2020 a Paid Holiday
In addition to expanding vote by mail, which has become a popular demand for change amid a global pandemic, ICM also notes that over 60% of poll workers on election day are elderly, or age 60 or over. ICM is now encouraging young voters and healthy employees to relieve older, more at risk voters of the burden of working this election.
ICM launched a politics department back in 2017 headed by Hannah Linkenhoker, and the agency has been active in every other election since. The ICM Politics group has hosted candidates such as Senator Cory Booker and Senator Amy Klobuchar during their recent presidential runs, as well as individual panel discussions with Senators Kamala Harris, Chris Coons, Diane Feinstein, Jeff Flake, Heidi Heitkamp, Eric Garcetti and more.
ICM Politics is also a partner with Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote organization, and it recently hosted a protest rally along with Black Lives Matter and #8Can’tWait at its headquarters in Century City, which was attended by 3,000 people who heard speeches from Black Lives Matters representatives and Michael B. Jordan, followed by a peaceful march to Beverly Hills City Hall as organized by Travis Merriweather.
ICM is not alone in making election day a paid holiday, as other companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Uber, Best Buy and dozens more have made similar announcements.
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