Where Being a Good Corporate Citizen Counts

From a young age, Natasha Murphy was convinced her love for healthcare had set her on track for medical school. But after volunteering with her City Councilwoman in Harlem, New York, and witnessing how “staff leveraged relationships and their understanding of the system to help people that were less informed,” she realized that health-focused policy work was what got her excited.

I asked Natasha if she had any other concerns besides communicating accurate information. With Election Day being merely days away from our initial call, Natasha shared that BGV are also trying to help set expectations for the electorate. “It’s really important folks prepare themselves because [the vote by mail process means] it’s going to take longer for results to come out.”

Echoing a similar sentiment to Anna Haraseyko of the Center for Civic Design, Natasha also hopes shifts in this year’s voting process can inspire innovation to emerge. “This year really amplified some weaknesses of the electoral process in the United States. I hope it encourages elected officials to move democracy to the next level so that in the future, we have different options to cast our ballot.”

Natasha emphasizes the importance of corporate responsibility in supporting this shift. She points to institutions like CareFirst, Natasha’s primary employer, who now recognizes Election Day as a paid holiday. Organizations like Under Armour that have a larger global presence are also stepping up, supporting BGV in the latest round of the Party at the Mailbox initiative.

Asked why big corporations are initiating these changes, Natasha says “I think so many organizations are recognizing that being a good corporate citizen entails them to not shy away from conversations on the democratic process.” And with that thought, she believes “more intentional steps to give employees the time and support to participate in the democratic process will be monumental” in how we build a stronger voting culture for the future.

Right now, Natasha is optimistic about improving democratic processes post-election. She shares that BGV are also looking forward to celebrating their fifth anniversary on November 30, the birthday of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to the United States Congress.

In the meantime, she reminds me that our individual power can be exercised in between election cycles by keeping local officials accountable. “Follow your politicians on Twitter, subscribe to their newsletters, and stay up to date with activities that are happening. Let’s make sure they do what they said they were going to do.”

This story represents Part Three of our “2020 Election Spotlight” series. This series collects stories on how Baltimore-based leaders and organizations are working to engage communities and promote full voting participation amid a pandemic and historical changes in the voting processes.

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